Raindrops and Windchimes
by Aeslinn
Summary: An old dragon is woken up present day and searches for her soulmate with the help of Circle Daybreak.
1. Prologue

Disclaimers: The Night World and all the characters of the Night World books are not mine nor will they ever be. But the characters that are not familiar are mine and if you wish to use them for some oddball reason please ask me before you do. 

Rating: It starts off at PG but it might get as bad as R. 

**_Rain Drops and Wind Chimes_****__**

**_ _**

**_She dreamed the twinkle in his eye,_****__**

**_His silhouette against the night,_****__**

**_She felt his breath, soft as a sigh,_****__**

**_His gaze a burning, amber light._****__**

**_She saw his smile in her sleep,_****__**

**_His presence had entwined her soul,_****__**

**_She thought his love was hers to keep,_****__**

**_Without him she could not be whole._****__**

**_She searched for years, heart in the stocks,_****__**

**_Lost in the dark, she could not see,_****__**

**_Yearning to turn back the clock,_****__**

**_She wished her tears could set him free._****__**

Prologue:

1980

The guy was looking at her again. It unnerved her. He had been casting quick glances at her all evening with those dark eyes, those dark and sad eyes. Those eyes seemed to cut straight to her heart, waking a memory and she felt as if she had seen him somewhere. But where? And was he finding her familiar, too? Or was it just her? Was there something wrong with her appearance? Was it because she was looking at the world in awe? She had been asleep for quite some time and the world was new to her. So new. So many differences now as compared to how she had used to live.

"Come here often?" the guy suddenly asked her.

She looked at him in surprise, stomach icy with nervousness. "Excuse me? Are you speaking to me?" she asked in confusion.

The guy glanced at the bartender swiftly before looking at her again. "Yeah," he nodded, a frown wrinkling his smooth forehead. "No one else here but you and me. And Jack." The guy looked at the bartender again. "Right, Jack?"

The bartender arched an eyebrow at him.

She also cast a quick glance at the bartender. But the bartender obviously had nothing to say and the quiet young man continued to hold her attention. She turned to him once more, now more curious than afraid. "And your question was...what, again?" she asked slowly.

The guy rested his arms on the counter with an exhalation of breath. "I said," he began again in his soft tone, dark eyes meeting her royal blue ones, "do you come here often?"

She shook her head. "No. No, I don't." she answered, blinking. "I haven't been here…for a while, actually." It was a piece of the truth, now that she thought of it. She had wandered along this land before. She mentally shook herself, concentrating on the young man. She could smell him, now that she was focused on him. She could smell everything about him and he was familiar. There were many scents surrounding him but deep, deep down she could smell him as he was. He was vampire, she was sure of that. Perhaps as old as she was. And now that she could look at him in unabashed interest she found his familiarity disturbing.

"I...I know you." She whispered, shock suddenly beginning to course through her as another similar memory was awakened in her mind.

The boy laughed and it came out as a chuckle, soft and humorless. He lifted a glance of amber liquid to his lips, the ice clinking inside and he drank.

Amber.

She stared at the liquid, at the deep color, so strong, so powerful. Amber had always been a powerful color. She realized her breath was shallow and she turned away from the boy to swallow and clear her breathing a bit. Her frame rested along the counter and she allowed it to hold her weight. She was suddenly too weak to do it herself.

"Selena Chimes." The boy murmured, the name rolling off his tongue.

A cold shiver ran down her spine. She quickly raised her eyes to the bartender but he was going away, leaving the two of them to their privacy. She felt an inexplicable surge of panic. She was alone, alone with someone who knew her, after all the time, all the years she had been asleep, how did he know her? It was a set up, all a set up, it had to be.

"How did you..." she whispered incoherently, stiffening frantically. "How did you...what...?" she looked toward him, blue eyes pleading.

And he was looking back at her, dark eyes shining like liquid jet. A smile quirked at the corners of his mouth as he took another sip of his drink.

And it hit her. 

"Theorn?" she asked faintly, stunned.

He arched an eyebrow and turned away, lifting the glass against his forehead and closing his eyes. His body relaxed, unlike hers which seemed to grow stiffer with each second that passed.

"That's who you are." She said, staring at him. "Theorn!"

He shook his head, exhaling softly. "That's not my name anymore." He said to her, although it seemed he spoke to his drink. "I gave it up a long time ago."

"A long time ago?" she asked him, staring at him keenly. He was wavering slightly and she could easily see him pitching forward unconscious across the counter. "How long have you been sitting here, Theorn? You seem quite intoxicated."

He did smile then but the expression was laced with weariness and sadness. "I'm celebrating." He said faintly, and he shook his head slowly. At himself perhaps.

Jack returned then, a glass of the same amber liquid in his hand. He placed it before her and then glanced quickly at Theorn. Theorn nodded and Jack left once more without a single word.

She looked at the glass, careful not to get drawn into the color. "All right." She agreed to him quietly. She lifted the glass into her hand. "What are we celebrating?"

Theorn held out his nearly drained cup and they clinked glasses. "The rebirth of my soulmate." He answered.And he tipped his head back and gulped down the drink. 

She stared at him again. His jaw was clenched, tension suddenly radiating outward in palpable waves. He gazed at the cup, gripping it forcefully. She expected it to crack under the pressure any second. She looked down at her own glass and then tipped her own head back to taste it.

It burned a bit. But it felt good. 

The left side of Theorn's lips lifted. And as he looked at her, he laughed. A real laugh. It did wonders to his sad eyes and face. He deserved to laugh like that, she knew. 

"Congratulations." She nodded to him.

They settled into silence, the only sound being the ice clinking in the glass as she shook the liquid. Jack returned momentarily to refill Theorn's glass before going away once more. And then it was them again, lost souls drowning their sorrows in brandy. She stopped to stare at the liquid and felt herself get drawn in again. She wanted to get drawn in. She wanted to drown in the liquid.The color, amber. So much like...like...

"So, when did you wake up?" Theorn asked her, crunching on ice.

She continued to stare at the drink. Amber. Golden-orange. Amber. "Yesterday." She whispered absentmindedly.

Theorn spared her a glance. "Wow. Been a while then. Longer than me, that's for sure." He nodded. He crunched again, hesitating. And he hesitated for a while, the silence threatening to overwhelm them once more. But after what seemed like a small eternity had passed he finally spoke again. "They're still asleep, you know..." he said faintly. "The dragons. Still hidden away."

She exhaled, feeling like a flower falling in on itself. "I know. I figured as much." She said sadly. She lifted the glass to her lips, to drink again. But she realized that she didn't want to drink it, her eyes catching on the surface of the liquid. She didn't want it, didn't want to disturb the smoothness. If she drank it, it would go away, all go away. All she wanted to do was stare at it, stare as she had once, so long ago...

She lowered the glass, shaking the thoughts from her muddled mind. "I just don't know why I'm awake. I was supposed to sleep forever." She said with a frown.

Theorn was still looking at her but he suddenly stopped crunching on the ice. He eyed her warily, lips parting. "Cassandra's dead, Selena." When she looked at him, eyes wide with shock, he nodded. "She was staked two days ago by one of those vampire hunters."

She blinked at him dumbly. Things were moving too fast. All the years asleep had numbed her brain, her thought processes. They were fried. "How…did you know..?" she whispered, feeling a strange sense of vertigo wash over her. "How did you know it was Cassandra who…" and she stopped. 

Theorn eyed her again, an eyebrow arched.

"You were the first." She uttered. "All those years ago, you were the first. To sleep." She looked away, eyes wide, as it all began to make sense, as all the pieces clicked into place. "You were the one Cassandra put to sleep, the very first one."

Theorn turned back to his drink. "What does it matter?" he asked bitterly, his earlier happiness forgotten. "I might as well not have woken up at all." He shrugged, shaking his head at the far wall, seeing things she couldn't. Demons he dealt with everyday, perhaps. "My soulmate…she isn't with me. I doubt she ever will be."

She swallowed, gaze caught on the liquid in her glass. Amber. "You made the rules of your pact." She murmured slowly. "You asked to awaken when she was reborn, your soulmate. I didn't ask to be awakened when Cassandra died." She shook her head firmly, feeling the need to jiggle her brain awake. "Are you sure she's…dead?"

Theorn clenched his jaw. "Staked by a vampire hunter." He stated coldly, emotionlessly. And his demons were rising up again, she saw. He shut his eyes tightly and threw his head back to take another swallow. A deep swallow of the liquid. 

She slumped in her stool. "That's it, then. That's why." She said dumbly. And then she closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Damn it."

Theorn had lowered his glass and was watching her sympathetically. "Now what are you going to do?" he asked her quietly.

She swallowed thickly and wondered that herself. She was alone, the only one of her kind to be awake, it seemed. Stranded in a strange world that had grown old without her. She was awake and that meant she had to live. She had to...

"I'm going to live." She said. And then she nodded firmly. "I'm going to live my life."

Theorn smiled slowly, eyes still on her. "Good idea." He said softly. "Everyone should do it if they can. That's what life is all about."

He paused. She opened her eyes and looked down at her glass.

"They'll be looking for you." He added after a moment.

She nodded in silent agreement. She had figured as much. Once they found out it would be time to run. And that hurt. After so long, the dragons were still the animals that were feared. If they found her, realized what she was…it would be over before it had even begun.

Theorn hesitated once more, wanting to say something, she knew. She felt the awkwardness and looked at him, questioning him with her eyes. He stared back and finally said, "You could stay with me for a while..." he offered reluctantly. His fingers were tight once more around the glass, his knuckles white.

She studied him, wondering vaguely if he feared her. "No." she said simply. She shook her head. "If they know I'm with you they'll drag you down, too."

Not that he looked like he could be dragged down any further. His was kissing pavement as it was. Alone. Intoxicated. He wouldn't last much longer. How he had lasted the past few millennia she didn't know.

"All right." He nodded. He pushed aside his glass although he seemed reluctant to part with it. "So. Tell me your story." He said easily.

She looked away and caught sight of Jack hanging far off, eyes focused on something in the distance. Everyone was distracted today, her above all. "My story or _a story?" she questioned, looking back at him._

He shrugged wordlessly. "I don't have a preference."

She sighed and wracked her brain. "Well," she said, brightening a bit, "when I woke up in the mausoleum I saw several books lying beside me. Recent books." She dragged her eyes back to the drink. "Looks like Cassandra still watched over me even after all these years."

"She did." He nodded at her.

She smiled. "Right. Well. They were books on mythology. And several passages were marked in each. But there was one story that just seemed to stick out. And this story was in all of the books. Cassandra knew when she had read it perhaps, knew it had to do with me." She paused, lifting a finger. She dipped the tip into the amber liquid and then lifted it to her mouth, allowing it to bead against her lips.

Theorn watched her.

"Do you know the story of Selene and Endymion?" she asked him. And she was ashamed when she suddenly choked at the end of her question.

Understanding seemed to dawn on Theorn. "I've heard it. Once. Long ago." He answered. "But tell it to me," He said quickly. "Tell it to me again."

She licked the drop of fluid from her lips and inhaled. This was going to hurt, she could feel the pain and she hadn't even started. "There was this Goddess. Goddess of the Moon." She began with a sigh. "And her name was Selene."

Theorn smiled, nodding slightly.

She continued. "The Moon Goddess fell in love with a human by the name of...Endymion." She whispered, allowing the name to come out like a faint breath. She ran her finger along the rim of the glass, trying to hold onto her composure. "But the Moon Goddess could only visit him...Endymion...in his sleep. So the Gods placed Endymion into an eternal sleep." She looked at him and he thought he almost saw tears shimmering in her eyes. But when he blinked they were gone and she was merely staring at him sadly. "And Selene and Endymion were together forever."

Theorn lifted the glass of amber and ice to his lips and began to crunch again.

She bowed her head. "When I found the story I was heartbroken." She said softly. "I thought, 'That's the story of my life, right there.'" And she laughed quietly to herself.

"Without the happy ending." Theorn murmured.

She shook her head. "I can't hope to find him." She said to him in a whisper. "Not after so long." She lifted the glass and stared stonily at the liquid, blocking out the tender memories that threatened to rise. "I have to move on."

He stopped her, slender fingers staying her hand. He motioned to his glass with the other hand and Jack came around, pouring more into Theorn's glass before leaving them once more.

She watched him as he picked up his newly filled glass, the amber liquid swirling. He held it up to her, tilting it toward her. "To what then?" he asked quietly.

She gazed into his deep eyes. "To long life." She answered clearly. "Long life for the past and its Legends."

Theorn smiled slightly, and their glasses clinked together. Each downed theirs, Theorn taking it in stride and she choking up on the burning liquid. He looked at her and she laughed, sinuses suddenly clear.

The door jingled open.

Theorn glanced over his shoulder toward the door and she did the same. A dark-haired young man with sunglasses and dressed in a dark suit waited in front of the door patiently. He clasped his hands before him and said, "Sir? It is time to go home," to Theorn, voice soft and polite, a caring edge to it.

Theorn nodded. "Yes, Nilsson. Yes, it is." He glanced at her. "My chauffeur." He explained with a modest shrug. He rose to his feet, stretching a bit.

She smiled up at him. He always had been tall, she remembered noticing, when they had run into each other occasionally in the far gone past. "You've done well for yourself." She said.

He glanced at her. "Took me a while." He said quietly. He reached into his back pocket pulling out a small folding pack made of skin. She watched as he pulled out a small white rectangular card and accepted it when he handed it to her. 

"Thierry." She read.

He nodded. "If you need help, look for me." His dark eyes held hers for a moment. "And you watch your back. If they find out you're awake they'll come looking for you." He paused. "My advice?"

She arched an eyebrow and gave him a curt nod.

"Change your name." He said. "Change everything about yourself and just walk away from the past. Do what I couldn't because if you don't, you won't be able to later." He lifted the cup back to his lips, downing the remainder of the ice and crunching loudly. And then he bowed his head. "Take care of yourself, Selena."

He turned without another word. The man at the door held it open for him and as Theorn stepped out he turned and left with him. She saw through the dusty and dirty windows of the bar the long white car Theorn climbed into. She watched as the young man in black entered the seat in front. And she watched, almost sadly, as the car pulled away from the curb quietly, vanishing into the night. 

"Change my name." She murmured, still staring long after they had gone. She was brought back as she looked down at her empty glass. Where had the amber liquid gone?

"Another?" Jack was suddenly there, asking cautiously. "He gave me more than enough to cover for you." He said and he held a bottle in his hand, a bottle of more amber liquid. But it was close to finishing. Things were always coming to an end. A drink. A life. A love. She stared at the bottle, caught by the deep familiarity of it all. 

"Such a beautiful color..." she whispered wearily. It was all right that she wasn't making sense. Life had never made sense to her, why should she pay it any more respect than it deserved?

Jack glanced at the bottle he held in his hand. And then he looked at her thoughtfully, studying her with compassionate brown eyes. He set the bottle down before her. "Take it with you." He said quietly.

She stared at him, blinking and then she lowered her eyes to the bottle with the delicious fluid. Almost as if watching herself from outside her body she leaned in and wrapped her slender fingers around the neck of the bottle. It was as if she could still feel him, after all these years. "Thank you." She said to Jack faintly. And then she rose, clutching the bottle to her chest and she left the bar, going out into the night.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One:

_The Past___

_ _

_"No, you can't. Please, you **can't!" Selena Chimes pleaded, blue eyes wide with unshed tears. She struggled to hold onto the slender arms of the girl before her and her golden blond hair fell wildly with her movements. She tried to tighten her grip, force some emotion into the girl's wise brown eyes but she was immovable.**___

_"Let go of me, Selena." Hellewise Hearth-Woman said to the distraught woman before her. She shook off the woman and her face was blank of expression. "You don't understand what happens if we don't do this. And you'll just be in the way if you try to stop us."___

_Selena looked to the side and Maya Hearth-Woman stood impassively, her eyes shifting colors, each shade of the spectrum. She didn't seem blank so much as cold. But that was Maya. She was the eerie sister, the dark one. Her hair was black, shimmering like light reflecting off the wing of a raven. And her soul was far darker than her hair could ever be. The witch pursed her lips and Selena turned back to Hellewise helplessly. She should have known there would be no help from Maya's corner.___

_"I'm begging you, Hellewise. Don't allow your mother to do this." Selena said to the lighter sister, jumping in her way again as the blond witch tried to go around. "Please, don't do this. Think about it! At least **think!" she cried, reaching out for her once more.**___

_Hellewise shook her head, shoving aside Selena's arms and then her own hands clamped down on Selena's shoulders. Her grip was surprisingly strong for a human body. "I can't save him for you, Selena. I could barely save you. But he is a dragon. He is dangerous." She paused, exhaling slowly. "If you get in our way you'll be put to sleep also." And her voice dropped to a whisper. "If not killed."___

_Selena stared at her sadly. "He's my soulmate." She said softly.___

_Hellewise's eyes softened as well and her long slender fingers rose to her friend's face. "I know, Chime. I know. And I am sorry. With all my heart, I am sorry." But her face darkened. "Nonetheless, he is dragon."___

_"Helle-" Selena uttered.___

_"No." Hellewise shook her head curtly. "I have to go." She lifted her gaze toward Maya. "We have to go. Mother is waiting." And she swept past Selena without another glance.___

_Selena looked toward the darker sister in panic. "Maya, please." She said quickly, fists tightening at her sides. "Please, help me. Do something, get involved-"___

_She hadn't expected Maya to even listen to her but she most definitely had not expected the cold reaction she was given. Maya merely smiled at her, as if everything were happy with the world. "Mother is waiting." She echoed her fair-haired sister.___

_Selena's jaw fell open in stunned disbelief as the two sisters began to move away. She couldn't have possibly just heard that, it wasn't damn possible. "You're **agreeing with her?" she whispered faintly after them.**___

_Maya paused, looking over her shoulder at the woman. "They're dragons." She shrugged emotionlessly. "I will have nothing to do with dragons."___

_Hellewise waited wordlessly, brown eyes blank. And for once there was no wisdom there, no emotion in the deep brown. There was nothing but the need to finish the task at hand and to insure that it followed through.___

_Selena took a step away from them suddenly feeling as if the earth had shifted under her feet. "For once, the sisters agreeing." She said dumbly to herself. She risked a quick glance at Hellewise and then turned a glare on her sister, Maya, anger beginning to rise in her. If she couldn't take it out on Hellewise Maya was the next best choice. She deserved nothing but her anger as it was. "I've seen your future, Maya, I know it. The dragons are not the only dangerous ones." She said coldly.___

_Hellewise looked toward Maya. Her jaw clenched as she gazed at her sister but when her gaze was not returned she whirled and left them.___

_Maya's dark eyes were still on Selena. "The time to act is now." She said, expressionless, skin far too pale, eyes too dark. "But the one to act shall be Hecate." And without another word she turned away and followed after her sister at a slower pace.___

_Selena stared after them feeling strangely lost. She watched as a young man with pale-golden hair and dark eyes stopped to talk to them. Hellewise greeted him wordlessly, only nodding, but it was Maya who paused to speak to him, a wicked smile spreading across her lovely face. ___

_Selena swallowed. She had to find him and get to him, all of them, before the sisters did.___

The Present

She awoke from the dream, limbs damp with sweat, the bed covers tangled around her long legs. Her room was blue with moonlight and shadows, the white curtains of the balcony billowing faintly with the soft breeze. No sound came to her, none at all. No animals, no people. No life. Had it come down to this?

She had dreamt again. Had remembered what life had been like so long ago. Her old life. She raised a hand to her face, palm rubbing her eyes. Would she ever forget? No, she very much doubted it.

What had happened? What had gone wrong? 

Her eyes drifted to the bottle of amber liquid resting on the nightstand beside her bed. She had gotten rid of the bottle Jack the Bartender had given her years before. Now she had a new bottle, one she had purchased herself. She couldn't help herself these days, every bottle of brandy she saw she wanted with a strange desperation.

New bottle. New name. New life. But she continued to feel the gaping hole in her so-called perfect world.

_"Do you know the story of Selene and Endymion?"___

Had it been so long since her talk with Theorn? What year was it again? She had to constantly remind herself because these days every day was the same, everything a sick, twisted dream. Everything empty. Curse it all...

1998.

Sound suddenly came back to her as she remembered everything. The world began to turn again and she heard the faint patter of raindrops, could smell the scent of green leaves saturated in the crystal drops from the sky. The gentle melody of her wind chimes. The animals, coming to life.

She bowed her head. Opening her heart to the world around her and she listened to the spirits speak through her memories.

She still remembered Hellewise, her best friend turned traitor. And her mother, Witch Mother Hecate. Maya, the dark witch.

And Rayne.

The name caused her to grimace, even after all these years. Rayne. Raindrops. So cool on her skin when she would stand under a storm, alone. Feeling the tears of the sky wash over her and comfort her. The Goddess cried for her only because she couldn't do it for herself anymore.

And she couldn't bear to think of him anymore. Who could've known a hot-headed arrogant dragon was her soulmate? The past had swept right past her in her absence and thoughtlessness. After he had been put to sleep everything had no longer held meaning. The past events were just a mindless blur and she didn't see anything anymore. Skies were gray. People mumbled. Any music and sound, except for the soft melody of her wind chimes was ugly and unwanted in her monotonous life. And everything was slow. But several things had gotten through to affect her.

The disappearance of Maya. The death of the four babies from that small village. What had it been called, that witch village? That had been important for some odd reason. Not that she could really care why she paid attention at all to that damned Witch Village. Hadn't it been their fault she now lived in agony? And then there had been the disappearance of Theorn and she hadn't seen him again since...since...that day in the bar. And Maya had reappeared not long after Theorn had disappeared and she had returned with her son, Red Fern. 

And the battle.

She dropped her head into her hand. The battle. The historic battle between the sisters that had ended with the defeat of Maya and the death of Hellewise. The one that had claimed her best friend's life even though she wouldn't have dared called her a friend after everything that had happened.

"I'm sorry, Hellewise." She whispered. "I'm sorry that you died. I'm sorry we ended on such bad terms."

Her hand fell to the back of her neck and she ran her fingers of the two dragon horns there, the small lumps she always kept covered because if any one saw them she would be good as dead. She shook her head, pulling her blond hair over the horns.

"And I'm sorry you betrayed me," She said finally.

Outside the wind blew and the wind chimes tinkled. 

Another wretched morning. Another wasted day.

"Ms. Devlin." The woman behind the counter smiled. "How are you this fine morning?"

Even after all these years Selena had to remind herself that her name was different. She hadn't strayed far because she doubted she could've made herself react to any other name. The name was Chime Devlin now and it was on her forms of identification and on her credit cards. She had to keep reminding herself but these damn humans didn't make it easier. "Please," she said to the woman for what seemed like the hundredth time. It was always the same routine, every time she came to this store. "Call me Chime."

"Of course, Ms. Devlin." The woman beamed. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

Chime felt like swallowing her tongue. But she would humor the woman only because shifting into a dragon, or even a tiger for that matter, and ripping the woman's smile from her lips would give her away. And blood was rarely a pleasant thing for humans to see. She turned to look out the front windows of the store and she glanced at the blue sky. Cloudless. She hated the sun. She wants clouds and rain. Raindrops to rain down kisses from the sky. Enough wind to send her wind chimes crashing together in a burst of musical noise. "It's lovely." She lied.

The woman was nodding, already moving on. In this business it seemed like nothing mattered as long as the patron agreed to what was said. It made everything the easier. "We've gotten a new shipment." The woman was saying. "Fruit scented candles in the far left corner. And more sets of wind chimes toward the back." The woman motioned.

She would give her soul to sell anything in the business.

Chime nodded to her, nonetheless. "Thank you." She said politely. She turned away and set to work shopping. She was running low on candles and she was beginning to miss the airy scent of lilac and the deep sweetness of green apple. These days her home was smelling bland.

Her eyes caught on an amber candle but she ignored it with all her might. Scents, not colors, she had to remind herself.

The door opened, wind chimes crashing together loudly.

Chime grimaced from the sound. What kind of idiot had wind chimes hanging at the door when the purpose of the chimes was the soft melody? An explosion of sound like that one merely destroyed the chimes slowly. She continued to look around with a mental shake of her head. Her eyes caught on a set of chimes decorated with a crescent moon and diamond studs for stars in the face of the ornament.

A cheerful voice began to chatter behind her, light and carefree. It set Chime's teeth grinding and she disliked it instantly. It reminded her a bit much of Hellewise, how she had always been quiet and wise but also carefree. The voice that answered the cheerful one was soft and husky on the contrary. Obviously bored.

"The silver one, Blaise. The silver one." The first said excitedly.

"Whatever, Thea. Just move it," The second voice said impatiently, the tone dark.

Chime glanced over her shoulder, trying to seem nonchalant. They were the only ones in the small store, in the whole area perhaps. Whose fault was it that the owner had built the shop on a hill all by its lonesome self? She looked toward the only other two people in the shop.

And her world came to a screeching halt.

One of the two girls, the impossibly bright one, had honey-blond hair falling in waves down her back. Her wise brown eyes sparkled as she pointed, a hand on another girl's elbow. The other girl had smoky black hair, thick and wavy as well. Her gray eyes were hooded and she seemed very bored.

Chime took a step forward in awe. "Hellewise? Maya?" she whispered before thinking.

The girls looked at her and she realized her mistake. Maya was gone, Hellewise long dead. Everything was in the past, buried. And this girl, with the blond hair, now that she stared dead at her there were slight differences. The same went for the black-haired one. Her eyes were gray. Just gray. Not the ever-shifting beauty that had been Maya's trademark.

"Are you ok?" the blond girl asked politely.

Chime took that same step back, lips parting in confusion. They looked so much like them, so much. How was it even possible? All she could think was that Maya and Hellewise were standing before her and she felt that same rush of love and hate. With a cry she turned and went for the door, bursting out of it in a flurry of colors. The wind chimes crashed behind her once more and it only served to further her anger.

The day was brisk, the wind lifting her hair from her shoulders just as she made it to her black Pathfinder parked on the bumpy road. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the two girls had followed her to the door, were staring at her from the porch of the shop.

No, not at her. At her neck. Her horns.

She clamped a hand over them in her panic, how had her hair come free? She threw herself into the jeep, slamming the door behind her and hiding herself behind the tinted windows. The jeep came to life with a purr and then roared away with a screech of tires.

Even in the rearview mirror she saw them still looking after her.

Night had fallen once more.

Chime leaned against her jeep, hands tucked into her pockets. She was the picture of laziness, slumped the way she was. But she was stiff with pent-up energy and emotion. She still hadn't gotten over the shock of seeing those two women. She was a fool, she was realizing it of course, but seeing them together like that after all these years...

She shook her head and then inhaled. It was time. She had to go before it got even later.

She rose from the jeep and slowly climbed the small hill toward the top where the grave rested under the cherry blossom tree. It was early spring and the rose-colored petals fell like kisses from the sky, caressing her skin and hair breathlessly. She loved cherry blossoms. Perhaps Cassandra had too because she rested under them, had rested under them for the past eighteen years. 

She paused before the stone lying horizontally upon the grass and looked at the shiny surface of the plaque. She had been buried as merely Cassandra, no last name and no dates at all. The only other thing upon the plaque was the small moon symbol engraved at the bottom corner. 

Cassandra had taught her to love the Moon and to love the Goddess. Even when things didn't go right, _especially when things didn't go right, and they hadn't been going right since the day she had met Rayne. The Goddess didn't fail people, Cassandra had said to her many times over. People failed each other._

Chime laughed quietly, hands still stuffed in her pockets. "Yeah, well you failed me, Cassandra." She said, her voice carrying in the night air. "I'm awake and I feel. And I don't want to."

The Moon shone down upon her, bathing her in cool white light. She felt like the Goddess in the myths, the one named Selene. The young goddess standing elegantly in her pool of moon beams. 

But she wasn't a goddess. She was a shape-shifter, the half-dragon half-tiger that had been allowed to live when all else had been put to sleep. She had been lucky.

"Lucky. Yep. That's me. Miss Happy-Go-Lucky-Dragon with no one to be with anymore." She laughed humorlessly again and it didn't stop her expression from crumbling. "But Hellewise wasn't lucky. Rayne wasn't lucky. Neither were you, Cassandra."

He was alive somewhere, that she knew. She hadn't stopped looking for him but after so long she doubted she would ever find him again without placing herself into danger.

_"They'll come looking for you..."___

Theorn had said that to her. And Hellewise had seen to it.

"Made yourself seem like such a savior, keeping me awake and fighting for me. Made it seem like I owed you my life." She said coldly, lifting her eyes to the peaceful moon."And you knew!" she suddenly shouted. "You knew! You knew the way I would end up! And I hated you! I hated you!" she screamed into the night sky, the stars shining brilliantly. No tears came and it had been a long time since she'd felt them roll down her face. She inhaled shakily, still staring up at the sky. "But then you died..." she whispered, her voice hoarse with those unshed tears, "and I realized that I had loved you...because you were my friend," she closed her eyes, expression that of pain, "After everything, we were still friends..."

She sighed and bowed her head. And that's when she became aware of the sounds coming up behind her. She slanted a glance to the side but didn't turn. Instead she raised her eyes again, her blond hair blowing across her face.

"Friendship is one of the most beautiful gifts." A masculine voice said quietly. And she would've agreed with him. She did, deep down, but there was a cold edge to the voice which turned her off from him. She finally spared him the glance and did a once over of him.

He wasn't familiar at all. But he was lovely. Of average height with dark hair and eyes and a strange animal look to him. Primitive and beautiful.

"Yes. It is." She agreed aloud, staring at him critically.

"Of course you would think so." He said with a chilling smile. "Selena Chimes."


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two:

Chime stiffened imperceptibly. 

He was watching her closely, looking for some sign that would give her away but she controlled herself, all expressions closing down. So, someone knew then. Boy, the Goddess was really shining down on her now.

"I'm not Selena Chimes, I'm sorry." She said, feigning confusion. "You have the wrong person." She shrugged. She realized she was functioning on auto-pilot. Inside she was itching to start running and screaming. She wished he would go away.

He tilted his head at her. "You're not Selena Chimes?" he stated with an arched eyebrow. He wasn't believing her for a moment and she saw that now. "You're not the half-dragon, half-tiger?" He paused and his teeth flashed in the moonlight, "Not the soulmate of Rayne Endymion?"

Her stomach clenched.

Endymion ...

How long had it been since she'd heard his name in its entirety? Her body still shivered at the mention of him. She stared at the man before her and thought quickly. She could tell him the truth and say she was Selena Chimes in hopes that the strange man knew where Rayne lay sleeping. Or she could save herself because knowing the Night World today, he was probably out for her blood and hide.

"I'm sorry. I'm not Selena Chimes." She said finally. She turned away and began to walk back down the hill. "I'm going now." She called back over her shoulder. "Please don't follow me or I will have the authorities handle you."

The man laughed and the cold chuckle sent ice up her spine. "The authorities can't hurt me, sweetheart." He said. And then he was moving, vanishing from her peripheral vision and just suddenly appearing behind her, his hand sweeping up.

Her hair flew off the nape of her neck and she gasped, whirling, raising a hand to her horns automatically.

He was smiling. "Selena Chimes, you'll be coming with me, I'm afraid." He said, faking a woeful expression. And he reached for her.

Chime swung away, batting his hands aside. He stumbled back a step in shock and Chime felt a certain surge of victory but then his face darkened. Two canine teeth glinted in the moonlight, impossibly long and she knew then.

"So," she said casually, a shrug of her shoulders. "You found me, good for little old you. But a vampire?" she frowned at him. "Why would a vampire be after me?"

He stared at her. "Are you that stupid?" he asked through sharp teeth.

Her face darkened, became icy. "Humor me," She said, clenching a jaw.

The vampire shook his head wearily. "There's a price on your head, pretty girl. Whoever brings you in alive gets a very nice reward."

"Brings me in to who?" she demanded.

The vampire smiled. "The Mother of Witches." He answered.

And Chime's heart stopped. She stared at him dumbly because she had been right. All along she had been right. She exhaled, body slumping. "So, Hellewise, even in death, you haunt me from your grave."

"You're going to make this difficult, aren't you?" he stated, as if he already knew.

Her lips quirked. She understood him, oddly enough. "Yes, I am," She said. "But don't worry 'cause it'll be fun." She smiled.

He frowned.

And with that same mischievous grin she leaned forward into his face suddenly, fiery blond hair misting from the hollows under her cheekbones. "Boo!"

The vampire flinched backward.

With a laugh, Chime turned and ran, her body beginning its shift. Cat ears sprang from her head, unfolding. Whiskers protruded into the air from her the corners of her lips, floating as she sprinted and she felt instinct take over. Beautiful primitive instinct. Her powerful legs carried her down the hill, across the grass and away from her jeep. Today was a good night and she was in the mood for some fun. She almost seemed to fly, a blur among the shadows of the night. She heard the vampire's angry snarl behind her as he moved with her, right at her heels.

They played cat and mouse, Chime's legs assisting her graceful leaps and bounds. From one tree to another she sprang, losing herself in the forest bordering upon the gravesite. Behind her she felt the vampire following, taking her exact path through the trees. But he was louder, much louder. He was newborn, she realized. Just made. Any other vampire would have caught up by now and they would've done this all much more quietly.

How long had it been since she'd been through an actual run and hunt? Years, perhaps. But then, this was nothing like the old days. The old days beside Rayne, beside him after he got off duty. He would be tired from it but his arrogance always made him ready for her games.

Her Endymion.

The vampire suddenly crashed into her from behind and she went toppling out of the trees, the breath knocked out of her. Curse her thoughtlessness, she groaned as the ground came to meet her.

Time slowed for her. That was what it felt like, what was special about the Night World. It wasn't that they made time stop. They just reacted faster. For them, a second was long enough to come up with strategies and analyze their situation. One of the many problems with humans was that their minds didn't function fast enough. 

Even as she was falling off the tree with the vampire tangled around her she was already reacting. She pointed her arms downward, feeling the vampire's arms slip from her shoulders and wrap around her waist instead. He was likea slug, hanging on almost possessively. And maybe she was going to enjoy this after all.

A shiver ran through her body, hot and cold. And there was a release, a trembling in her body as she let go of the power building up inside her. Black magic burst from her palms, dark and powerful, thick and streaming endlessly. It struck the ground, smashed into it mercilessly, the heat eating away at the soft green grass. But the force pushed her away, the black energy striking the ground and then bouncing back up towards them exactly the way she had planned it. She felt it wash over them, and she absorbed the power, absorbed the heat back into her body, melding it into herself once more. But it struck the vampire as an attack, burning his skin and scorching him. He released her with a howl and his body went sailing off hers. Her energy blast flung her as well and she forced her body into a flip, directing herself toward the ground. This time as the ground rose to meet her she accepted it, landing on her feet and falling into a crouch to lessen the impact on her legs. Her hair blew around her face as she raised her eyes to look for the vampire. He had landed several feet away, seconds before her and she stared at him, at his arms and legs sprawled out over the grass. Smoke rose from his charred skin and clothes.

Chime smiled wryly, rising. He was down for the night. His body was still and the only sound was the faint sizzling of his skin. With a raised eyebrow she turned away from his smoking form.

Rayne had taught her that trick so many years ago. She silently thanked him once more for it.

And as she walked away her features melted from those of the half tiger. Her fur darkened and sank back into her flesh, vanishing. Her irises blackened, her blond hair fading to a dark brown. And then she was the vampire, taking on the remainder of his appearance. With a feminine swing to masculine hips she melted into the shadows, heading for her jeep.

It was definitely time to go home.__

_ _

_The Past_

_Selena Chimes gazed at the black-haired woman sitting before her. Cassandra, as she was known to everyone, was a half-witch and made vampire. It hadn't been her fault she had been changed but she didn't dwell on it anymore. Which was just as well because she always had more important things to think about. Like the reason for the presence of a certain two-horned dragon. One who was pleading with her at the moment. _

_"Selena, we're friends. You know that, right?" the witch asked her, cutting off the dragon's sentence._

_And Selena felt her heart clench. The last friend she had made had turned on her. She shoved the thought away and instead frowned at the witch. "Is that a no?" she asked innocently._

_Cassandra's expression softened. "Chime. Stop and think what you're asking me," She said, purple-blue eyes full of compassion. That or pity. "You're asking me to betray the witches and tell you where Endymion lies. So that you can wake him, I'm guessing?" she asked with an arched eyebrow._

_Selena inhaled deeply. "Cassandra-"_

_The witch rose. "No, Selena. It's out of the question. This happens and I take the fall. You'll be perfectly happy and I'll be off dead somewhere for my betrayal."_

_"I wouldn't allow that." Selena said quickly, rising with her. "Cassandra-"_

_"He has to sleep." Cassandra cut her off. "For a while. And I am sorry, Chime. I am," she turned away as if she couldn't bear to see the sadness on Selena's face. "But he's not going to wake up anytime soon. If ever." She said shortly._

_Selena stared at the back of her friend's head, shaking her head wordlessly, as if the mere motion would force reason into the witch But that was it. Rayne would continue to sleep wherever he was._

_Cassandra sighed sadly._

_Selena opened her mouth, feeling herself tremble inside. The nights. The lonely nights. "Help me, Cassandra." She whispered, "I don't want to live like this anymore..." she swallowed and said in a faint breath, "I'm lonely."_

_Cassandra seemed immovable for a moment and Selena thought her plea had fallen on deaf ears. Everyone always told her they would be her friend, would always be there for her but when it all came down to it none of them ever stuck around. It seemed Cassandra was the same as the rest of them. Why had she ever thought the witch was any different? _

_And then as if by miracle, Cassandra's shoulders slumped. She turned slowly, holding out slim arms to the dragon. Selena placed her own hands in the witch's and felt heat seep into her cold, abandoned form. Cassandra looked deep into her blue eyes and said quietly, "Many years from now, someone by the name of Devlin will set you free."_

_Selena frowned, blanking. That was rather unexpected. "Devlin…But Endymion is my soulmate-"_

_"I never said you would fall for this person." She corrected her swiftly. "I said Devlin would set you free. Remember this. It determines your future…and your fate."_

_Selena stared at her in confusion._

_But Cassandra was moving right along. "There's only one thing I can do to help you and it's been done on someone else before you, someone who had a problem almost like you." She said softly, an urgent tone entering her voice. "I can put you to sleep, like the one before you, make you sleep for years. Like Endymion. And then perhaps one day the future will hold promise for you."_

_Selena's eyes were wide. "I would sleep like Endymion?" she asked faintly. "For how long?"_

_"Until I wake you. Or until I die." She answered. Her voice was low._

_Selena's thoughts were a whirl of confusion and also a mixture of anxiousness and heady delight. Her lips parted slowly and she said, "The other one that this was done to...when will he awaken?"_

Cassandra paused thoughtfully. "There were different terms to his case. He will awaken when his soulmate is reborn. Your soulmate has not died. You will awaken when I discover Rayne has awakened." She lowered her head. "When that happens I only hope the witches will live long enough to get to you and tell you."

_Selena inhaled, her body stiff. _

_To sleep. Like Rayne. To sleep years and years, and to wake up one day to realize hundred, maybe thousands of years had passed in the course of a dream. And perhaps he would be waiting for her when she awoke. Perhaps she would wake up and it would be a horrible nightmare that was finally over._

_"Do it, Cassandra." She whispered, smiling and glowing. "Let me dream with him."_

_The witch lifted her hands to Selena's face and her expression was sad, lost. "Then let it begin."_

The Present

Chime sat up in bed, stirred from her dream by the faint odor of...something. Something familiar but ultimately strange. Something that didn't belong in her room. She blinked sleepily, sitting up in bed. And she saw the shadow by the window.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three:

The figure leapt forward, merely a shadowed face in the darkness, and his hands came down upon her shoulders. She instinctively threw them off, shoving him away and a surprised cry broke from her lips. How had he gotten in? As he staggered backward she lunged from the bed, coming to her feet on the opposite side of the bed.

"What is it with you people?" she demanded angrily. She should've felt a bit embarrassed, standing before a stranger in her shorts and cotton tee shirt but she was raging and barely paid attention to her appearance. It wasn't as if she were about to ask the stranger on a date. "Are you here for the reward money, too?"

The stranger came into the light of the moon and she didn't recognize him. Of course she didn't, what had she been expecting? She snarled cattily at him, feeling herself tense up instinctively when her nostrils caught a whiff of that strange smell again, the horrid odor in her room. She looked behind herself quickly, even spinning in confusion. What was that?

The intruder laughed.

She looked back at him, a cold shiver running down her spine. She was not liking this in the least. There was a strange feeling hovering over her, almost like a premonition. Something was wrong, her mind was screaming and maybe if her thoughts would shut up for a second she would see where that smell was coming from...

And she suddenly saw it. The small, plastic case in the corner of her room, behind the stranger. And her bedroom, it was wet, the rug was soaked, her bare feet causing a strange fluid to rise from the carpet. The dresser gleamed from moisture, drops of the fluid shining on her mirror, her lamp.

On the amber bottle of brandy.

Everything was wet. With gasoline.

Her mind came to a screeching halt and all that made it past her lips was, "Oh, sh-"

The intruder grinned at her, teeth flashing and he held something in his hand. Even as she watched him, she knew. She knew. And she couldn't think, she could just react as she watched something spark to a flame in his hand. Her mind was still shrieking, incoherent sentences that all came to a mumble as she stared at him. She just watched him, wide-eyed. He was a vampire, another one. But not a newborn. This one was older.

Her breath lodged in her throat and she made a rattling sound. He was holding a match. In his hand, he held a match and the gasoline was all around. It was all around, she thought wildly. The presence of the flame in the room soaked with gasoline should have set the room ablaze in a fireball, shouldn't it have? But nothing was happening yet, nothing. Her wise eyes remained fixed on the dazzling fire, the dancing flame in his hands.

The glow suddenly flew, brilliant orange light streaking through the air.

_"No!"___

The scream tore from her throat, scraping painfully, the force of her emotions building up and releasing with it. It in itself hurt. She only made it a step before the room exploded in flames.

Chime felt the sudden heat. It just suddenly roared to life in the small room and she fell away as it raced around her, encircling her, the flames eating up everything in seconds. A flash of movement alerted her to the window and the vampire was there, his form balanced on the windowsill momentarily before he was gone. She took a step blindly, not knowing what to do. The floor was on fire and she leapt to the bed covers, looking around quickly. She had to go. But her home, her chimes…

The bed was catching fire, the wooden posts devoured by hungry flames. She whirled, looking toward the door but the fire was a wall, barring her from escaping that way. It streaked toward the ceiling, licking at the smooth white paint.

There had to be a way. There had to be-

Something burned her, a spark perhaps and her tee shirt was on fire. She patted it down frantically, cursing. She tried to think as she reacted but it was hard to think. There was smoke now, a lot of it and it choked her, stung her eyes causing tears to fall. She felt them, the tears, rolling down her face and for a moment she was in awe. They gushed. The drops ran from her eyes unceasingly and they were warm on her fire-reddened skin. The flames seemed to dance before her blurry vision, swaying as if to some horrible music. 

She had to stop it. Before everything went up, she had to stop it. Her candles. Her wind chimes. All her wind chimes.

The bottle of brandy on her dresser exploded.

She looked at it, blinking at the mess of alcohol that fed the fire, the glass shimmering on the wooden surface of the dresser. And she suddenly knew. It was over. All of it. It had been over for such a long time, since she could remember. She just hadn't wanted to give in because she had hoped like a fool that she could right everything, force everything back the way it had been.

She looked toward the window again, in what felt like a deceptively slow movement. The curtains had been eaten up and now the rectangular exit was helping her, allowing the smoke to stream out and bringing in clear air. But it wasn't enough. She had to move. The time for thought and the good it had done her, was over. Now it was time to act.

If she could make it to the window and dive out, she could use her black power. Use it to cushion herself on her way down-

Flames licked at her side and the rest of her clothes were suddenly on fire. She screamed in fear, wanting to roll but the bed was on fire as well. She was stepping on flames as she bounced about the mattress. The flames had made her floor a living pool of fiery hell. She was getting burned, her skin cooking as she tried to pat it down. Burns broke over her body, charred skin bleeding. And it hurt like a bitch. She cried, reaching for the bottom of her shirt to pull it off but she couldn't find it. She couldn't find it. She patted again, stomping the fires of her bed with burned feet. She wasn't going to make it. She was going to stay on her bed and burn.

And he wasn't there to save her this time.

The mere thought made her want to crumble into a ball and die in the flames. She turned her senses off from the pain, pulled away from her body and looked at herself from outside.

That poor girl...who was that? Why wasn't anyone helping her? She felt pity for her, watched as she continued to slap at herself to put out the flames that ate at her skin. She wanted to call out to her. It was ok, it would all be over in a moment. She could stop now, she didn't have to be afraid...

_Endymion...___

And she was suddenly moving, her body a blur. It was pure instinct and she watched herself thoughtfully, watched as her slim figure dashed from the bed blindly and flung herself toward the window. Why was she doing that, trying to save herself? The flames reached for her, her bare skin blackened from smoke and soot. She hoisted herself onto the windowsill, balanced perfectly on thescorched balls of her feet. And then she fell out.

She was airborne, like a pretty angel with clipped wings.

And she was herself again, suddenly aware. She heard the wind chimes, knew they were being eaten. The bottle of brandy was gone. Cool night air kissed her flame-licked skin and blew through her hair, lifting up the threads of gold in a gleaming halo. She felt weightless and free, most of her body numb. She would almost say it was a wonderful experience. But she was falling and it clicked in the back of her mind. Wind rushed up as if to push her back toward the window but she continued to sail downward, the pretty angel falling to earth.

It wasn't earth she landed on. It was a car hood.

Her body crashed, and the windows and windshield burst under her weight, the sound deafening. Whatever had been alive seconds before was now numb of feeling and she somehow knew that this was not good. But it was all she could think. Almost like a child she repeated the phrase to herself with a sing-song melody.

_This is not good. This is not good. This is not good. This is not good.___

She couldn't move herself and she didn't want to. She didn't want to feel what her body was going through. It had been kind enough to shut itself down on her so that she couldn't feel it. She didn't want to argue with herself. 

But her body was moving of its own accord. Gravity pulled at her and she rolled down the car feeling like a sack of potatoes. She fell off the side of the car, slumping into a pile beside it on the lonely road. Her eyes came open again as she settled on her back and she saw the flames reaching out her windows, saw her wind chimes melting, the soft melody warped and ugly. 

Tears rolled freely down her face but she wasn't aware of them. Why did things always die? Why did everything become ugly, sound distorted? 

Her head dropped to the side heavily and she swallowed, fine strands of golden hair floating down upon her charred cheeks like kisses. She couldn't see very well anymore, things were going black. She was going to sleep. And maybe she would see Rayne, maybe he would be there as she dreamt.

But something came into view through her thick, spiky lashes. Boots. And a pair of legs moving in those boots. Long, shapely legs clad in jeans.

She raised her eyes slowly, the tears blurring everything. She saw dim shapes and she blinked once to clear her vision.

"Maya..."

Her voice came out as a faint whisper before the familiar face faded into darkness.

Blaise Harman stared at the unconscious woman at her feet, lips parted in disbelief. She raised her head to look up at the window, at the flames reaching out toward the dark sky. The entire house was burning and there would be no one to help it live on. The house was surrounded by trees on its sides, no one would see the flames and no one would be there to hear its painful death moan. She looked down at the woman once more, at the smooth, pale skin that was smoky with soot and at the charred slender body. A sound came from behind her and she glanced over her shoulder.

Thea Harman was inching up, eyes wide. She was pale and stunned and her eyes didn't seem to be able to leave the form of the unconscious woman. "It's her..." she whispered dumbly, pointing with a shaky finger. "The dragon."

Blaise went down on her knees beside the dragon, leaning over her. "Go get Ash." She said slowly. Then in a stronger tone, "Get Ash! Tell him to bring the pick-up. And for Goddess's sake, hurry!"

"What about you?" Thea burst out.

Blaise was staring at the woman. "I'll stay here." She answered faintly. She reached down slowly, reluctantly, to touch the woman's smooth face, her fingers leaving clear smudges upon the porcelain skin. "Hurry, Thea."

"Is she alright?" Thea asked anxiously.

Blaise shook her head. "She's dying." 


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four:

Chime's eyes came open, fluttering. White light blinded her tender vision and she shut her eyes once more. She felt lethargic, her body heavy and numb. There was a weightless sensation, as when she slept. Is that what she was doing now? Sleeping? Was Rayne here? She couldn't see him...

"Hello?"

The voice was soft, sweet. Almost achingly familiar. And it echoed, like a divine spirit waking her from dreams of fire and torment. A gentle angelic voice. She opened her eyes again but the sleep didn't release her. It dragged at her. With difficulty she focused on the face above her. It wasn't Rayne. It was...

"Hellewise?"

The blond woman pulled back as if shocked and then two other faces appeared above her. A dark-haired woman and a silver-haired young man.

"Maya..." she uttered weakly, wishing she could reach out. And a faint smile came to her lips. "Theorn."

The two women looked at Theorn. He continued to look down at her blankly.

But she didn't care. All she could think was that the past thousands of years hadn't been real, hadn't happened. She had finally awakened from that terrible dream. Maybe Rayne was waiting for her, didn't know she had accidentally fallen asleep. She would have to apologize to him for making him wait for her...

But she was home and the light enveloped her.

_The Past___

_She looked up at the sky. It was late in the day, nearing sunset. The sky was turning a bloody red, the sun a burning hot sphere off to the side. He would be getting off duty soon. ___

_She would wait. She didn't mind. She could look around in the meantime. ___

_She let her eyes wander over the gardens she stood outside of, the clean sparkling waters of the pools. The lovely blue and greens set off the ivory white of the stone pillars of the Royal House. It was peaceful here as many knew. As she knew. There was an air of calm, of serenity, that could come only with hearing water drip and lap, and smelling the freshness of red and white roses and flowers.___

_He was always so busy here, never had enough time for anyone. Or maybe it was his arrogance that made him seem that way. A smile crossed her lips. He seemed unapproachable, a wicked dark dragon with no one of importance to him but himself. But his loyalty to the First House of the Dragons was unwavering.___

_A dark figure moved among the pillars of the Royal House, the large home to the Royal Family of Dragons. She straightened slightly, blue eyes catching on the figure and she stared at him as he wound around the pillars and came down the long steps toward the gardens. His steps carried him across a path of fallen rose petals, cherry blossoms from the nearby trees fluttering around him and settling on the marble steps.___

_Rayne Endymion seemed a bit tired. He still moved gracefully, shoulders back, the same elegant manner to his movements. But he was weary, she knew. She could see it in the way he breathed, the way he clenched his jaw. His slim form was the darkness against the light. His color was black, always black. The uniform he wore bore the family crest of the First House and as he came down the center path of the gardens he removed the long, flowing cape he wore, exhaling with the gesture. He slung it over his shoulder and promptly forgot about it, the material falling down both sides of his body. She could almost hear his thoughts. Another day gone, another night to come…___

_Selena Chimes took a step forward, hands clasped before her and she came out of the light shadows into the pool of evening copper sunlight.___

_Rayne looked up, a quick, wary glance, and he seemed to pause ever so slightly as he caught sight of her. His movements slowed and it almost seemed like he took his time reaching her. She felt a smile tug at her lips but she didn't allow it to escape.___

_He finally stopped before her, hanging back a bit. "You came." He said quietly. ___

_She shivered every time she heard his voice. It was always low, soft. As gentle as the rustling of leaves. As the breeze whispering through the night. And it made her feel at peace, almost like those strange musical bars Hellewise played with, those cylindrical metal pieces that tinkled when the lightest breeze danced through them. His voice had always contradicted his nature. And his attitude.___

_Selena stared at him, allowing her eyes to run over him. His hair was black, the red sun beating down upon it and reflecting off the locks. Like jet, smooth and glossy. His eyes were a fiery amber, red gold. They were arresting, haunting. She tilted her head and smiled slightly, holding back the full grin she wanted to release. "Not many women turn down your offers." She said quietly.___

_The familiar arrogant smile curled his lips.___

_"Not that I meant to stroke your ego, mind you." She said with a twirl, turning her back on him. "It's quite big as it is." She murmured.___

_His voice reached her as she began to walk away, that gentle, quiet voice. "Not that you mind, right?" he asked her in a lazy tone. ___

_She glanced over her shoulder at him and he hadn't moved to follow her. Instead he leaned against a garden pillar, head bowed. He was hidden from the sun and that was alright. The shadows were his home. But his eyes shone like the sun, teeth glinting as he smiled at her.___

_"Don't I?" she asked him, coming to a stop. She paused, lifting her head and she felt warm. The sun beat down on her and she could feel the night approaching, the cool winds that only came when the moon had risen. "A question for you, Rayne."___

_He inclined his head.___

_"What were your thoughts when you saw me the very first time?" she asked him. She turned to face him fully and she saw what he saw. A slender woman bathed in copper, her golden hair gleaming like the finest gold, skin like ivory. And her eyes the deepest oceans, the darkest blue. ___

_He pulled away from the pillar and finally walked over to her. The sun shone down upon him and was merciful, lighting his darkness in shimmering gold. He came toward her stopping only when he stood directly in front of her. His slim figure blocked the setting sun and she felt the coolness of the shadows. It was almost as comforting as the light but it left her slightly chilled. She raised her eyes to look up at him and he was tall, always looming over her. ___

He moved, pulling the heavy cape from his shoulder and she could only blink in surprise as he threw the soft material around her slender frame. He met the collars of the cape at her clavicles, pulling it and securing it. And for a moment he stood there, his hands holding the cape to her neck, his eyes gazing down into hers. 

_Amber. So thick, so deep. She could fall into those eyes, drown in them, in their depths. If the amber of his eyes had been liquid it would have been a warm, heavy fluid. Like honey.___

_He leaned down to her, moving past her jaw toward her ear, his hair brushing her cheek. He seemed to inhale her scent and her eyes closed as she felt his warmth seep into her. The shadows could be cold but with him by her side she would never feel the ice. He finally answered her question, speaking softly and she couldn't help but tremble. That voice…it worked wonders.___

_"Wouldn't you like to know?"___

_Her eyes flew open at that and he pulled away from her, still smiling that arrogant smile. His hand caught her face, thumb brushing across her bottom lip and that strange pink haze settled over her. Whenever he touched her that haze numbed her and she always felt like a fool after they broke contact. She had to fight it this time, couldn't let her mind wander…___

_The haze vanished as he released her. Then he turned and walked away, head bowed. She stared after him, feeling as dumb as she knew she would. But she felt light too, so unbelievably light and heady. ___

_She smiled.___

The Present

Her eyes came open slowly, feeling oddly heavy. She felt as if she had been asleep for a long time and her mouth was dry. Light blinded her, forcing her to blink repeatedly. Tears came from the stinging of the air and its contact with her eyes. Up above her a ceiling finally came into view and she frowned at it, blinking some more. It wasn't a familiar ceiling but it certainly was lovely. There were designs on it, long looping curls of ribbon in white. 

With a deep breath she turned her head and caught sight of a young man sitting in a chair beside the bed she lay on. Nothing in the room was familiar except for him and she was vaguely bemused. "Theorn?" she asked quietly, her jaw locking.

The boy glanced over instantly, nearly breaking his neck in the process. A smile lit his face as he leaned toward her and she saw him take her hand but she couldn't feel it. It scared her to no end because now that she paid more attention to her body she realized she felt nothing, nothing at all. "What happened?" she asked hoarsely.

Theorn inhaled deeply before answering. "You took a fall, Selena. A pretty bad fall." He said carefully. "You're healing right now and you're in my home."

Chime blinked at him. And she suddenly remembered, the past events rushing at her at such an alarming pace that she wanted to cringe and hide from them. But she stared at him, almost stared him down. "It was true, then?" she whispered. "But what about Maya and Hellewise? They were with you, only seconds ago I saw you and they were both with you…"

Theorn was looking at her sympathetically. "They are both dead, Selena. Hellewise a long time ago and Maya only recently. But both dead and gone now." He hesitated as if he really didn't want to ask her his next question. "Do you remember what year it is?"

She stared at him and understanding washed over her, bringing with it a sense of helplessness. "It was a dream," she said softly, to herself. "All of it a dream. And so was he…" she turned her head away. "He was a dream. He's always a dream…" she whispered, her voice trailing off into nothingness. The same nothingness that was her essence and her life.

"Endymion?" he asked her gently.

She winced at the mention of his name and then she sighed. "It's nineteen ninety-eight. And I am Chime Devlin." She said, almost like repeating from a textbook.

Theorn exhaled in a whoosh. "Good."

There was a hesitant knock at the door and Theorn turned away to call over his shoulder, "Come in."

The door opened as Chime turned her head back and a blond girl was peeking into the room cautiously. "Morning." She said with a small smile, brown eyes crinkling. 

Chime went visibly pale. "Hellewise?" she uttered in disbelief.

The blond girl glanced at Theorn quickly. "Uh…no." she said with a flustered expression. "My name is Thea. And Hellewise isn't alive anymore." She stopped, looking from the dragon to the Night Lord.

Chime stared at her. "Thea." She stated, letting the name roll around in her mouth.

The blond girl smiled again before looking at Theorn. "Uh, Thierry? Hannah is looking for you. She's worried." She said to him, a knowing look on her sweet face.

Theorn nodded and slowly released Chime's hand. "I'll be right back." He said reassuringly with a gentle smile. He rose above her and moved toward the door, his tall body slender and elegant. Thea smiled at him as he went around her and left, and she was about to follow but Chime called to her.

"Hellewise…" she stopped, correcting herself. "Thea. Please, stay."

Thea blinked, hovering at the door. She glanced over her shoulder back out the door but after a moment's consideration she closed the door and came forward, clasping slight hands in front of her frame. She paused before her and sat in Theorn's chair.

Chime gazed at her, wordless for several seconds. It was the same beautiful face, the same wise brown eyes. She could almost feel Hellewise in the young girl. And then a smile spread over her face, a smile full of love, and just a bit wistful. "You look so much like her." She whispered with that tender smile. "It still hurts."

"What hurts?" Thea asked quickly.

Chime shook her head. "My head. My heart." She said softly. "Hellewise and I were the best of friends up until her death." She inhaled and exhaled, her eyes never leaving the girl.

Thea's eyes widened. "You knew Hellewise?" she asked, awe in her voice. She leaned forward some, closer to the dragon and Chime could read the surprise and utter disbelief on her face.

Chime nodded, blond bangs jumping up around her face. "She betrayed me," She said sadly. "She betrayed me so many years ago…"

Thea blinked and then slumped back in her chair. "Hellewise?" she echoed, almost as if to say, _'You're sure now?' She frowned, clearly confused. "How?"_

The dragon closed her eyes. It was a task just to speak. Her throat felt strangely tight and scratched up from the inside. "She took my soulmate from me," She explained in a pained voice. "I loved him and I begged her not to but she took him from me. All those years ago."

Thea's frown turned into a scowl. "No…Hellewise wasn't like that, she wouldn't have done something like-"

Chime's eyes came open and she looked at the girl, her stare cutting off her next sentences. "Endymion and I were supposed to be together forever. It was going to be our dream after the problems between witches and dragons were resolved." She laughed quietly, shaking her head at herself, at her simple dreams and innocent wishes. Everything had been so innocent. "We were even going to run away together, start over somewhere else where there were no problems, where no one knew us for what we were. Or, rather, that was what I wanted to do. But he…he was so loyal, he couldn't conceive of the notion of leaving his Prince…" she broke off and paused, breathing shallowly. "And it didn't turn out like that, anyway. It didn't work out." She shrugged, looking down at her feet covered by the blanket resting upon her pained frame. "And now…now he lives on but only in my memories. In me."

Thea gazed at her and she said, "I'm sorry," in a sad, strained voice.

Chime smiled again and the smile was the same as the last one, tender and soft. "You're Hellewise all over. Always apologizing for never understanding." She said not unkindly. Her eyes drifted closed again. "I see Rayne in my dreams these days. It started up again. I used to see him all the time back in the days when we were together. But I'm happy because it's the only way he can continue to live on."

The blond witch didn't say anything. She didn't want to pry, Chime realized. Instead Chime nodded to her. "I'm sleepy." She whispered. "Stay with me, Thea. Hellewise. Stay with me as I sleep."

Thea nodded once and Chime closed her eyes once more to sleep, allowing the peaceful blackness to spirit her away.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five:

_The Past___

_ _

____

_Selena Chimes ran hard and ran fast. Her cat legs carried her across the soft grass, across the land. Usually she threw her head back and breathed in the air, let it blow over her. But not this time. This time she was running because she had to get to him. She had to tell him. She had left the witches behind and was distancing herself more and more with every swift step. Thank the Goddess the witches were only humans with magic. She had to reach him before they did.___

_The pillars came into view, the gardens and the springs of water appearing just as magically. She raced faster, pushing herself past her limits, to her extreme. And her voice came out low, guttural. "Rayne…Rayne!"___

_Guards waited at the doors but none of them were Endymion. As she came closer they moved to get in her way, dragon arms reaching out and clamping down on her fur as she struggled to leap over them, past them, under them. They were faster and stronger and one caught her by her legs, sweeping them out from under there. She crashed forward, cat body slamming against the doors and they fell open under her weight.___

_"Endymion!" she shouted into the wide hall before her. Her voice echoed and came out like a growl, bouncing in the silence.___

_A fist smashed into the side of her face, against her cat ears and she yelped like a wounded animal.___

_"Dragon." A masculine voice said and she felt fingers along the two horns on her powerful back. The fingers tightened on her fur, yanking painfully, and she snarled instinctively, lashing out with claws and snapping with her teeth. The hands pulled back after a moment and she stood on her two hind legs. Her body rippled, shifting, and she became half-cat half-woman, her golden tail swishing challengingly. ___

_"You just cost me time." She growled furiously. And she spun and raced forward once more, entering the sacred halls of the House.___

"Stop her!" voices shouted and more dragons bearing the Royal Crest reared up before her, appearing out of side doors. She scrambled past, dodging and leaping over the bodies that jumped in her way but she continued to search for Rayne, continued to sprint, her fury driving her on. 

_"Endymion!" she shouted once more before they crashed down upon her. Bodies slammed into her, forcing her to the ground. And then more bodies were falling on top of the ones she was under, nearly crushing her to the floor. She cried out, gritting her teeth against the pain. Makes me all the more the fool, she thought silently. The dragons looked slim enough, who knew they would weigh so much?She looked up passed the bodies above her and saw a single figure rise, fist clenched to deliver a blow.___

_She flinched away, ears drawing against the sides of her head and waited for the pain but when it didn't come she looked up again, eyes wide.___

_Rayne stood above her as well, holding the attacker's fist away from her. His face was dark with fury and he glared at the other dragons. With a short growl that rumbled in his throat he flung the fist aside and then reached his hand down to her, eyes catching on the dragons as they pulled away rapidly.___

_Selena rose, air reaching her once more and she quickly went into his embrace, burrowing against his side and allowing his warmth to seep into her ice cold body.___

_"She barged in, Endymion!" One of the dragons bellowed, breathing harshly, chest rising and falling from the exertion.___

_Rayne'sface became cold. "And if you touch her again I'll kill you." He vowed quietly, the anger vanishing into stoniness. ___

_Selena raised a hand, touching his shoulder. "Wait. Wait!" she said to the entire group frantically. "There's no time for this! You have to hear me out! They're coming. The witches are coming here, for all of us! I barely stayed ahead-"___

_Everyone looked at her, Rayne tilting his head to stare down at her. "To kill us?" he asked with a frown.___

_She shook her head. "To put us to sleep." She said, looking up into his amber eyes, pleading. Please, believe me, please…___

_For a moment no one said a word, the first dragon even going so far as to laugh at her. She shook her head, couldn't force a sentence to stop his roar of laughter echoing around them.___

_But then another dragon entered the hall and his words were enough to stop them all cold.___

_"The witches are coming."___

_ _

The Present

Thank the Goddess for dragon strength and healing. Chime peeled away her charred skin, the scabs falling into the bathroom wastebasket. The skin under her scabs was still healing but most was good as new, her flesh still tinged pink from the flames. This was one sunburn that would take a while to go away.

Her back was sore, no doubt from her fall but the soreness was the worst of it. Her bones were pretty much good as new, muscles functioning without problems. Organs were intact and her dragon blood rushed through her veins almost audibly. She had to check her black power but she knew it would still be working properly. She didn't want to destroy the house she was currently residing in.

She lifted her head and looked around the bathroom. The damn room was huge. It was a soft blue color, with a large, elegant bathtub engraved into the center of the floor. The floor was raised a step from where she was standing and there were vases of flowering plants at the two corners of the long step. Windows lined the entire south wall from floor to ceiling, the silk curtains drawn back and tied at the sides. She would be damned before she took a bath in this room with those windows wide open. But she took a step up to circle the bathtub. And outside the windows was the most beautiful garden she had ever laid eyes on, excluding the gardens of the Royal house from her past. Rows and rows of flowers were arranged, vines of fruit winding around pillars, springs and fountains spraying water into the warm air. It was almost like being home again.

When she came out of the bathroom Theorn was in her room, waiting for her in a chair in the corner. She started in surprise and flushed momentarily before nodding and smiling to him. "Thierry."

He raised his head, face blank. "Grew out of calling me Theorn?" he asked quietly.

She circled the bed to sit closer to him and shook her head thoughtfully. "Remembered you had changed your name." She corrected. She paused to think about the last time she had seen him. He didn't seem to have changed much but then, made vampires rarely changed. Especially not in appearance. Theorn would never grow old, never waste away. He would be eternally youthful. Eternally beautiful. "How have you been? Did you ever find your soulmate?" she asked, remembering how he hadn't had any luck. She instantly wanted to take back her words. What if he hadn't found her? What if she had died? She would've died young but it was not unheard of.

Thierry was nodding, however. "She's here with me," He answered slowly.

Chime's expression brightened considerably and her happiness radiated in the room, seemed to paint it a cheerful yellow. "That's wonderful! I am truly happy for you, Theorn." She said, smiling widely.

"Thanks."

The happiness melted away at his wariness, crushed by a thick and awkward silence. Chime eyed him cautiously, feeling strangely tingly and jumpy. Theorn, on the other hand seemed downright lazy. Perhaps he was waiting for her to say something. But she wasn't about to say anything until he said something first.

Happy little game they had going on, she thought wryly.

A knock at the door caused them both to stiffen and Chime saw that he had actually been nervous despite the laid-back picture he painted. They looked toward the door as it began to open slowly. Then Thea was poking her head in and she waved toward the both of them cheerfully. "Morning, Thierry. Morning, Selena."

Chime pulled back a bit at the unfamiliar name. "Selena. Wow." She said to herself quietly. "Haven't heard that name in a while."

Thierry smiled faintly, eyeing her. "Her name is Chime, now." He said to Thea although his eyes never left her. But his next question was meant for her. "Right?"

Chime nodded wordlessly.

"I just wanted to say hi." Thea rushed on, picking up on the awkwardness. "The mansion feels kind of empty and one can barely tolerate Ash for so long. Especially with Quinn here." She shook her head, exhaling wearily.

Thierry leaned forward, closer to Chime. "You should meet the people here." He said in an inviting tone. "Most of them, the ones who are usually here, are off visiting family but there are still some Daybreakers here."

Chime raised her eyes slowly, meeting his and she knew she looked dark. To the side Thea had grown stiff at her expression. "So," she said with a small nod, "this is Circle Daybreak." She knew she sounded strangely ominous but it was even stranger having Theorn come out and say straight to her face that he was a part of Daybreak. She had heard of the problems, the approaching Millennium, but it hadn't had much of an effect on her. If the world ended in fire and ice it would just be another ordinary day in the life of Selena Chimes Devlin. 

Thea was casting a wary glance at Theorn. And Chime could almost hear her thoughts. She was definitely feeling the anxiety.

Thierry, however, was smiling, the type of smile that was innocent but darkly alluring at the same time. He was balanced on both sides by his angel and devil. "This is not Circle Daybreak." he said to her. "You haven't met Circle Daybreak yet. I'm just your everyday Night Lord." He sat back comfortably in his chair, the smile turning into an all out teasing grin.

Chime looked at Thea before nodding. "I won't say anything, Theorn. I want to meet them."

Thea visibly relaxed. "Will you tell us your story?" she asked, a bit of the old cheerfulness returning.

Chime felt the urge to smile. "My story or _a story?" she asked and she could see Theorn remembered their conversation in the bar for he smiled faintly. Before Thea could answer her she was nodding again. "Sure. Why not?" she exhaled, feeling the pressure in her chest. "It's time it came out."_

Thea led her to a large room, a recreational room, Thierry following silently. Chime was trying to keep up with Thea's careless chatter but it was hard to keep up with the names. She managed to hang onto an Eric, the name of Thea's soulmate. And Blaise, Thea's cousin who Chime was guessing was the Maya look-a-like. But beyond that she was lost.

A pool table in the large room had been pushed aside, against the wall. The television and stereo were quiet, shut off. And the only sounds now were from the group of people waiting in the room.

Chime nodded her thanks to Thea as the girl led her to a vacant seat. She was feeling nervous again. The people all around were staring at her, some of them dark, others just curious. There were a lot of them, too. Chime's nervousness was turning vaguely into claustrophobia. 

Theorn came forward after Thea had seated herself on the couch. "Alright," he sighed, motioning almost wearily. "This is Circle Daybreak. Or a part of it. Most of these people are close friends of mine, they spend a lot of the time in my home." He looked toward the couch and began. "Meet James and Poppy."

He was pointing to a couple. They seemed rather young to be on their own but Chime knew looks could deceive. James, the male of the couple was handsome and Chime got the distinct impression that he was usually a bad boy. Or rather, a bad boy to everyone except the girl at his side. The girl was small, fragile even, with pale, pale skin enhanced by deep red curls and powerful, slanted green eyes. She was playing with James's fingers absentmindedly but when she was introduced she raised a hand and waved cheerfully.

Chime smiled back.

"That's Ash." Thierry was moving along, motioning toward a boy leaning against the pool table.

Ash was tall. Very tall. A slender blond, to the point of being lanky. But there was a definite strength in his long frame and she saw it as he lifted his head to stare at her. Chime pulled back a bit as she focused on his eyes. They shifted color, from a deep blue to a blank slate-gray.

"You're related to Maya." Chime said before thinking. She clamped her mouth shut a second later.

Ash merely arched an ash-blond eyebrow.

Thierry was looking at Thea. "You know Thea." He said. He pointed out the black-haired woman Chime had encountered before. "That's her cousin Blaise beside her."

Chime nodded. "Hellewise and Maya." She murmured as if to commit it to memory.

"I've been saying that for years." Ash mumbled from the pool table, rising away from it and gathering the hard shiny balls into a group at the center of the table. They clanked together as he settled them and reached for the eight ball in a pocket.

"Over there in the back we got Rashel and Quinn." Thierry was saying, his eyes fixed on two people in the corner. Chime glanced over.

Rashel was a lean young woman, tall and with an olive complexion. Her hair was black, falling down her back in a loose and somewhat hurried braid. Chime sensed that her appearance was the last thing on the woman's mind. She could tell from Rashel's frame that she was in shape, in perfect control of her body. And although her glittering green eyes were hooded Chime knew she was being studied. Observed.

Quinn was all darkness. His hair was dark, his eyes black orbs of obsidian, his frame lean and compact. He was unnerving, almost like Thierry had been that night but when Quinn smiled wickedly a shiver raced down her spine. He was frightening. And if Quinn and Rashel were soulmates she wondered how Rashel could handle him.

And then she stopped Thierry as he began again. "Wait." She frowned, staring hard at Quinn and Rashel. "Quinn? And Rashel?" she asked, feeling the familiarity in the names.

Thierry nodded knowingly. "John Quinn. And Rashel _'The Cat' Jordan."_

Chime's jaw dropped open. John Quinn and The Cat. They were practically legend. She had heard bits and pieces. Rumors that Hunter Redfern's heir had turned from the Night World after finding his soulmate. And that The Cat was a woman, named Rashel. To think that Quinn and Rashel were soulmates. Vampire and Slayer. Hunter and Prey.

Chime nodded. "It's an honor." She said quietly.

Rashel and Quinn seemed taken aback but they nodded to her after a moment.

"Of course you know me." Thierry said, getting back to the introductions. Then he turned to one last girl in the room, a blond hovering close by. He held a hand out to her wordlessly and she came forward, grasping it tenderly. "And this is Hannah." He said quietly, his dark eyes on the young girl. "My soulmate."

Chime's lips parted, forming a small smile. "At last." She said faintly. "The soulmate."

Hannah looked at her, gray eyes questioning. Slanted down her cheek was a birthmark, a pale pink mark right below her cheekbone. Chime studied her, her long blond hair and her gentle but quizzical expression. And she sensed that Hannah was old. Not in body but definitely in mind and soul.

An Old Soul.

"Very nice to meet you." Chime said finally, nodding to the group in its entirety. "All of you."

Thea leaned forward then excitedly, brown eyes shining. "Tell us, Chime! Tell us!" she demanded.

Chime laughed at her enthusiasm, wondering vaguely when she had lost her own. She looked toward Thierry and the Night Lord merely shrugged, his hand still entwined with Hannah's. 

"All right." She said finally, looking back at Thea. "My name is Chime Devlin. I used to be known as Selena Chimes a long, long time ago. But I changed it. Chime was a nickname from the past and Devlin was a familiar name to me…" she shrugged.

"You're a vampire?" The Cat asked from the back of the room. Here eyes were hooded once more and she seemed almost…hungry.

"No." Chime shook her head quickly. The Goddess forbid she be a vampire in the same room as The Cat. "I'm a dragon, actually." She answered in an offhand tone.

Complete stunned silence filled the room.

Chime cut herself off halfway through her next sentence and glanced around cautiously. It was then that she realized all eyes were trained on her.

_Uh-oh.___

The Daybreakers were blinking at her dumbly. Chime almost had the urge to laugh but Quinn and Rashel were suddenly looking darker, somehow bigger and meaner than they had been. She even had Ash's full attention and she doubted anyone could hold all his attention. 

"You're a…what?" Poppy asked slowly, green eyes wide.

Chime swallowed. "A dragon…" she answered, making it seem more like a question. Maybe she should just change her answer before they all came forward and attacked her.

"You were being serious?" Ash asked, turning on Blaise in disbelief. The dark-haired witch merely smirked at him in response.

"I am a dragon." Chime continued before all hell broke loose. "I'm also half-tiger. A shape-shifter." She said calmly. "Basically."

James was still blinking. "Why are you awake?"

Chime sat back in her chair, pausing. How to answer the question? Or better yet, where to begin? She exhaled. "Well…a long time ago, during the Age of Dragons, there was a Royal House. Much like now. But the Royal House was of Dragons, housing the Prince of Dragons." She bowed her head. "The Dragon Prince ordered all half breeds to be…raised as such. I was not taught how to call forth the black power nor was I taught how to use it," She shrugged. "As it was, I was raised as a…lesser shape-shifter. I was not considered a threat by the witches."

"So you weren't put to sleep." Poppy stated.

"Let her tell her story!" Thea said, jumping up and down excitedly.

Blaise looked at her cousin, her eyes a penetrating gaze. Then she was leaning behind Thea and calling toward Ash. "Did you drug her tea again this morning?" she whirled on Quinn as Ash shrugged and shook his head. "You?"

Chime grinned. "Ok. Let me start from the beginning." She said. "I was born to a tiger shape-shifter. My mother. And my father was a Royal Guard to the First House of Dragons. I didn't know anything about him, still don't, and probably never will. Not even his name. But it's all right. He never figured prominently in my life. My mother raised me until she died in an unfortunate incident between the witches and the dragons. My father didn't want me, obviously, since he never came for me. So I drifted around, leaving home, coming back."

"Pretty lonely." Poppy murmured sympathetically.

"Yeah, it was." Chime nodded, shrugging. "For the most part. But then I came to a town where I met a friend. A true friend, or so I thought." She hesitated, looking down and she felt the room suddenly get heavy with emotion. "Her name was Hellewise."

Thierry bowed his head with her.

"_The Hellewise?" Quinn asked suspiciously._

Chime nodded, casting a quick glance at him. "The One and Only." She answered softly. "I also met Theorn there," she motioned distractedly, "but we were never introduced."

Thierry smiled slightly.

"It was a wonderful time for me." Chime continued and her eyes held the far-off look of one who was seeing memories, reliving them in their mind. "For once I could laugh. Live. Not worry." She sighed thoughtfully. "I was happy. Really happy."

The statement hung in the air for a moment. Then Hannah asked tentatively, "What happened?"

Chime shook her head as if she couldn't face the horror. "Oh, the worst thing…" she said. "I found my soulmate and fell in love."

Everyone looked at her.

Except Ash who had started his lonely game of pool. "Isn't that the worst?" he asked her absentmindedly, one eye closed as he tried to measure the angle between two of the balls over the cue stick.

"It is." Chime agreed. "I remember it was around that time that Hellewise, in her innocence, told me that Witch Queen Hecate would be putting the dragons to sleep." She quickly added, "Myself excluded, of course. Because I was weak." She hadn't meant for the statement to come out sounding so sardonic.

"Uh-oh…" Poppy sighed sadly. "I see where this is going…"

"Yeah." Chime said with a strained laugh. "I should have, too." She shook her head to herself. "Anyways, I got mad at Hellewise. Well, actually," she corrected, "I panicked. First I begged her to speak to her mother, to stop her and her insane notion…but she wouldn't. We argued, time and again. Sometimes in tears, sometimes nearly coming to blows." She grimaced, remembering the scenes that played out in her mind, listening to the ghosts of cries and screams that echoed in her ears. "But I was in love. For the first time! Maybe the only time, I was in love. Someone cared for me." She lifted both hands, holding them out beside each other. "I had a soulmate." She said, referring to her left hand. "And then I had a friend." And she gestured with her right hand. Her eyes closed and she clasped her hands into fists and then let them fall into her lap. "What could I have done?"

Thea was gazing at her sadly. "What _did you do?"_

Chime opened her eyes but she didn't see. "That last day…" she whispered, "I talked to Helle…Hellewise, once more. I begged her to stop. And when she didn't listen to me I ran to the First House. My soulmate was a Guardian to the Prince and I needed to tell them." She hesitated in shame, "Hellewise had betrayed me that day and then I…betrayed her right back."

Thierry now had his arms crossed over his chest, face dark. "What happened?"

Chime slumped a bit. "I found Rayne. And I told the guards. But they didn't believe me. Until it was too late…and Rayne was put to sleep. Protecting his prince. Of all people, protecting his prince…" her voice broke off into a lost whisper.

The room was quiet for several seconds and Chime felt their sorrow. She had once felt that sad. Over the years it hadn't grown easier but she had managed to live. She was so dull of any emotion she doubted she had any nerves left with which to feel.

Ash was nodding in the corner. "Man, that's how I want to go." He said absentmindedly, his one man game forgotten. "Protecting someone. Probably my soulmate."

"He's not gone, Ash." Hannah corrected. "Just…asleep."

"Then what?" Thea prodded before hesitating. "If you want to keep telling us, that is. You don't have to…" But it was quite obvious that Chime did have to because they all wanted to hear.

"Then what..?" Chime sighed. "Then I left the village after the bodies of the dragons had been hidden. I begged them. For the longest time I begged them to show me where his body was. But they wouldn't. And then I left. Only to come back when I had heard that Hellewise was dead." She swallowed and looked off to the side, at some distant point in her past. "After that, it's all a blur. A big blur…" she whispered. "I did a lot of traveling but the memories always brought me back. A long time after the battle I encountered another witch, one who was part vampire and she put me to sleep for several years. I was supposed to awaken when either Rayne awakened or when she died. But she died first."

"Wow, part vampire." Hannah said to herself. "So this was several hundred years after the battle of Maya and Hellewise that you met up with the witch."

Chime shrugged helplessly. "I really couldn't tell you. It's all a…really big blur. I stopped living, stopped caring. I just floated through it all but I would not be surprised if it was hundreds of years later. It sure as hell felt like it," She shook her head and sighed. "Cassandra died in Nineteen-Eighty anyway and that's when I woke up."

"And that's where I come in." Thierry said.

Chime raised her head to him, brightening considerably. "Yes! You!" she said with much needed laughter. She held out her hands as if to present an award to Thierry. "Lo and behold! I find him in a bar."

Ash gasped, lifting a hand to his chest. "Thierry, no!" he said in mock horror.

"What have we told you about those late-night drinks?" Quinn asked with a shake of his dark head, looking like a parent who had somehow failed his child.

"A bar?" Hannah echoed with an arched eyebrow.

Thierry looked towards the ceiling with a sigh. "Thank God Morgead and Delos can't cash in on this one…"

"Oh, don't worry." Chime said to the entire group, grinning. "He was celebrating the rebirth of his soulmate." She looked at Hannah. "I wasn't sure whether he was drunk or not but he was happy. Definitely happy."

Thierry almost seemed to blush.

"Anyways," Chime continued, "I changed my name and was living semi-happily ever after until someone found out. That I was awake." She frowned but her tone was dismissive, as if she had hadn't been paying attention to the situation. "The witches are hunting me, it seems."

Thea blinked. "The witches?" she asked with a frown, "No-"

"The Mother has a price on my head." Chime cut her off adamantly, blue eyes flashing. "Like it or not, I am the only dragon awake and after years of training and finally coming to understand my black power, I now seem to pose a threat."

Hannah looked toward Thierry and her expression was not one of happiness. "This is not good." She murmured and Thierry's glance told Chime that he agreed with his soulmate.

"Would they want you so that they could put you back to sleep?" James asked, silver eyes narrowed thoughtfully. His soulmate continued to play with his long, slender fingers absentmindedly, her face as inscrutable as his.

"That or kill me." Chime answered with an exhalation of breath. She raised a hand to her temple. It suddenly felt very warm in the room. "I'm not sure. But I'm scared." She shook her head, grimacing."I'm scared about what they'll do when they find me."

"When?" Thierry asked, arching an eyebrow.

Chime looked at him, her hand holding back her blond bangs from her face. "They will find me, Theorn. It's only a matter of time." She said quietly.

"Are you alright?" Thea cut in worriedly. "You look pale."

"I'm tired." Chime answered slowly. She hesitated for a moment, blinking. "I feel…weak. I don't remember ever feeling this weak before." She looked up at Thierry almost as if to ask, _'Is something wrong with me?'_

"Ok, back to bed." Thierry said in a firm tone that left nothing to be questioned. "We'll talk more after you've rested." He moved to Chime's side but Thea was rising also.

"I'll take her." She volunteered brightly. She looked at Chime with a reassuring smile and held out her arm.

Chime looked at her, pausing, before finally nodding and rising also. She smiled tentatively toward the Daybreakers, bidding them goodbye and after they said goodbye to her she allowed Thea to whisk her away.

"You dream about them." Thea stated, staring down at Chime who was once more tucked away in bed. She laid a hand across Chime's forehead, frowning absentmindedly.

"Yes." Chime nodded up at her, eyes shimmering excitedly. "All the time. It's the only thing I can do. To remember him." She said and she held out her hand. "Do you want to see him?"

Thea removed her hand and cautiously placed it into Chime's grasp, slowly seating herself into the chair beside the bed. She seemed unsure, to the point of looking fearful.

Chime clasped her wrist gently, soothingly. "You'll be my witness." She said with a smile, adding "daughter of Hellewise." In a quiet tone.

Thea forced a small smile herself. "Show me then."


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six:

_The Past___

_ _

_"You are so bad, Hellewise!" Selena Chimes exclaimed, feeling strangely excited and nervous. "If we get caught we could be killed!"___

_"They're your people!" Hellewise said with a mischievous smile, usual wise brown eyes teasing. ___

_The two young women hid by the pillars of the First House, spying for the Prince of Dragons. Rumor had it that he was beautiful, an elegant creature, wise and formidable. Very few had ever seen him though. He didn't make it a habit of wandering out into the villages and gardens without an escort.___

_Selena was not feeling comfortable in the least. She glanced around cautiously, a strange prickling in the base of her spine. Something was amiss and it wasn't just the intrusion of the two young women.___

_The whole situation was an accident waiting to happen.___

_For one thing, Hellewise was a witch. If they got caught they would either be killed or made slaves of. The dragons didn't tolerate witches. They barely tolerated their own shape-shifters.___

_And Selena was a half-breed. They would both be killed.___

_"I just want to see him." Hellewise said excitedly, her eyes on the beautiful gardens and the sparkling pools of water. If given the chance she almost seemed like the kind to hop up and down and squeal in impatience. "Just once, one look, a glimpse-"___

_"I don't." Selena said shortly. She rose away from their spot, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to ease away the goosebumps that had risen. The feeling was not going away. In fact it seemed to be growing stronger. Seemed to swoop down on her, like a breath across her shoulders. She shivered against her will. "I'm getting out of here." She said quietly, tapping Hellewise on her back. "You're free to fol-" she continued as she whirled to walk away.___

_And promptly rammed into someone.___

_Selena staggered backward in surprise, lifting her head back. And even further back. He was tall, the person she had walked into. Tall, lean and…not happy. There was such a dark look on his face that Selena's first instinct was to run. He was not going to be thrilled with this, especially not with their being curious about his Prince.___

_"Identify yourself." He ordered crisply, frame rigid, face stern.___

_Hellewise whirled around at the sound of his voice, jaw falling open in shock. ___

_Selena swallowed, feeling the need to back away further from the Guard. But Hellewise was directly behind her and for a moment she almost believed that the witch was cowering behind her slightly taller figure. She was trapped between the two. In a strained voice she choked out, "Half-breed."___

_The boy's amber eyes narrowed a bit before he turned to Hellewise. "You."___

_Hellewise blinked rapidly, eyes wide. "Witch." She said in what seemed to be a gasp.___

_The boy's eyes almost made it back to Selena. Almost. Then he seemed to hear Hellewise's answer because he snapped his head back to stare at her venomously. "What-"___

_"It was my fault." Selena cut in, stepping further between them and cutting off his line of vision. His amber eyes flew to her face as she went on, narrowing into slits, and she rushed on futilely. "I made her come with me. Please forgive me," She said rapidly. ___

_But the look on his face did not lighten and he seemed unaware of her pleas. Her excuses became all the more frantic, terror surging through her stiff body. This was it, they were going to be arrested for trespassing and to add to their sentence of death as it was their carcasses would be hanged to dry in the sun. The vision made her gag a bit but she shoved it down, realizing that she was still pleading with him to forgive her.___

_The boy took a step forward, ignoring Selena's very existence and his eyes were now on Hellewise.___

_Selena shook her head, suddenly shouting, "Helle! Run!" and she reached up without thinking, clamping a hand over the boy's mouth. There was an explosion of pink behind her eyes, a strange fog of magenta mist and a moment later they were both on the floor, limbs tangled, Selena struggling to maintain a firm grip on him until she was sure Hellewise was gone.___

_The boy struggled, his strength overwhelming her and he pulled her hand from his face, teeth bared angrily. He managed to pull free, shoving Selena aside and off him and when he rose to his feet Hellewise was nowhere in sight. He spun, looking off in all directions and his face was dark and dreadful with his anger. "Damn it!" he cursed loudly.___

_Selena rose onto wobbly knees, blinking. What had that strange haze been? She shook her head and the after images lifted away, the garden coming back into full color focus. She looked up slowly and met the Guard's furious eyes, a sinking feeling in her stomach.___

_"She was a witch, damn you!" he raged down at her, amber eyes burning with unholy fury. "Isn't it bad enough that you're a half-breed!? Do you have to further disgrace the First House by associating with the enemy?" There was disgust in his eyes, on his face and it hurt her more than any wound she had ever had.___

_Her jaw dropped open as she heard his words. "Disgrace?" she echoed in disbelief. Rather ungracefully she sprang to her weak knees. "I have disgraced no one!" she shouted up into his face and they both breathed heavily, fighting for the same breath. "But you…" she shook her head in contempt, "You disgrace yourself." It came out in a hoarse whisper and her anger pushed her along, Years of resentment were rising inside her, years of being the half breed, the scorn and shame of her mother because of her father. "You work under a prejudiced ruler, you yourself a miserable wretch. Look at me! Look at my neck!" she pushed her hair aside but the gesture was lost as she did not turn to show him her horns. "I am one of you!"___

_The boy turned away from her, impatience working its way onto his face. "You're an idiot." He mumbled with a weary shake of his head. He looked toward the First House distractedly and said, "One day she will betray you because of what you are."___

_Selena stared at the back of his head in confusion. Her eyes shifted over to the First House, seeing through its immaculate pillars and springs into the heart of the Dragon House. The Guard seemed to be doing the same thing, hands on hips, breathing deeply to calm his racing pulse. It was awkward, their silence. And for a moment she let herself believe that he had forgotten her existence, that she could just turn away and wander off quietly and he would be none the wiser.___

_But then someone was calling to him. "Endymion!"___

_And all thought flew because she suddenly knew who he was, what he was and of course what he stood for.___

_Rayne Endymion. First guardian to the Royal House of Dragons. One of the Personal Guardians to the Prince of Dragons. He was well known. For his respect. For his loyalty to his prince. And for his arrogance.___

_As another guard came up to them she whispered faintly to his back, "You're Rayne Endymion?" The surface under her was wavering a bit and she felt unsteady at first. Then she merely wanted to sink into the ground and cease to exist.___

_He turned slightly and slanted a glance her way before sighing in resignation and defeat. "Go home to your witches, Selena. Pray we never meet again." He said in a soft almost gentle voice. It was obvious whatever conversation they had had was now over with.___

_And as he left to join the other guard she was left wondering how he had known her name.___

The Present

"You lived in such a lovely time, Chime. Selena." Thea said in a soft tone, her peaceful voice bouncing around the blackness in between Chime's memories. "Where in this time do you see such beautiful gardens? Such beautiful and peaceful gardens?"

Chime was still dreaming but her mind spoke to her nonetheless. "Things were still beautiful back then if not pure." She said wistfully. "If you could've lived there, in that time-"

"I am." Thea whispered. "Through you."

Chime smiled in her sleep, her dreams carrying her away.

_The Past___

_"They're coming. That's what Mother says." Hellewise said into Selena's ear as she bent to help the half-breed. Her blond hair fell in lovely waves around her shoulders, bouncing and full of life while her fingers worked to dig up soil.___

_"Who is?" Selena asked absentmindedly, frowning at the work. So much more needed to be done before spring set in and the days grew longer and hotter. Her own fingers were patting thesoil, planting seeds that would grow strong with a little help from witch magic.___

_"The dragons." Hellewise's voice came to her faintly.___

_Selena's movements slowed until they stopped altogether. Then she raised her head and stared at Hellewise, blinking. "What?" she asked dumbly and then quickly, "Why?"___

_"To check up on us." Hellewise answered, leaning to the soil once more and reaching out. Her hand came down upon the grounds and she whispered words of magic before returning to the conversation at hand. "They'll be here later today." She said with a shrug, brown eyes watching Selena's reaction to her news.___

_"Actually, we're already here." A masculine voice said from behind them. "Surprise."___

_Surprise indeed. Selena was on her feet seconds before Hellewise, standing between the witch and the First House Guardian that stood before her. This was beginning to feel all too familiar. She lifted her gaze to his face and his amber eyes met hers, staring at her nonchalantly. "Hellewise." she whispered to her friend, swallowing a sudden ball that had formed in her throat, "get out of here."___

_Rayne Endymion's hands were clasped behind his back under his cloak and he stood tall, attentive to them and to the environment all around. "Yes, Hellewise." he agreed with a dismissive nod and a bored tone. "Please do, I need to speak to Selena."___

_Selena narrowed her eyes at him. "How is it you know my name, Guardian?" she hissed, motioning to Hellewise behind her back at the same time. If Hellewise would just leave, things would probably turn out a whole lot better. After all, the last time, Endymion had let her live and continue on. Maybe he would be as kind this time around.___

_The witch however was not moving. "No. I'm staying this time." She said firmly, brown eyed adamant. "Last time I was a coward but not this time."___

_Rayne slanted a glance her way, finally leaving Selena's straightforward gaze. "I'm not going to hurt her." he said to the witch with a sigh. His blackness seemed to grow with his impatience, blocking out whatever sun the cloudy day had missed. "I just want to speak to her."___

_"And if I don't want to speak to you?" Selena countered with her own bit of arrogance. It almost made her feel bigger, stronger. ___

_The dragon paused, amber eyes thoughtful. Her response almost seemed to have surprised him. Selena tried to read him, read what he was thinking through his expressions and body language but he gave away nothing, almost folding in on himself. He blinked after a moment and finally nodded to her. "Then I won't force you." He said, shrugging calmly. And he turned gracefully and began to walk away.___

_"Selena." Hellewise hissed in her ear.___

_Selena scowled, feeling herself stiffen. She didn't want to talk to him, didn't Hellewise understand that? The further he was from her, the better. She wanted nothing to do with him, didn't want to see his face or hear his voice. His very soft and melodious voice…___

_"Selena!" Hellewise whispered again.___

_Selena cursed to herself. "Endymion." She called out after him and she realized she liked the way rolled off her tongue. "Rayne" she said as well. "Wait."___

_The dragon paused and looked at her over his shoulder, expression not one of happiness.___

_Selena glanced at Hellewise almost as if asking for a reason not to go to him. Any reason, any at all, she pleaded. But the witch nodded to her instead and turned away, striding off cautiously. Selena watched her, yearning to go with her but the dragon was waiting for her, waiting to speak to her. And so, with a sigh, she floated toward Rayne.___

_Rayne's dark expression was not lightening as she slowly came to him. "If it pains you so much Selena, you don't have to bother." He growled at her, amber eyes narrowed into slits. "I do have duties." He looked off to the side but Selena knew the truth. This was his duty, today. Making sure the witches were doing as they had been instructed and were not rising up. Besides this there was nothing.___

_Selena stared at him and she felt a hot redness inside,knew her temper was flaring. "How do you know my name, damn it?" she demanded impatiently. "I never told you."___

_The dark dragon smiled as she crossed her arms over her chest and sent him an icy glare. His smile transformed his face, actually brightened his whole brooding atmosphere. "I know a lot about you, Selena. I know who your mother was. I know who your father is. I know you're nineteen years old-"___

_"You…know my father?" Selena whispered, dumbfounded into near silence.___

_He nodded, expression neutral. "Yes. I've worked with him before." He explained, his hands meeting behind his back in that stance she found herself liking more and more. But it had nothing to do with the fact that it made him more appealing to her, she thought. That it made him taller, and made him seem leaner. None at all.___

_Selena stared at him, frowning slightly. She had to focus. Focus on him. No, not on him. On his words. She had to stop thinking about how good he looked and start thinking about her survival. And that thought snapped her right back to reality. "How…how do you know all this about me?" she asked. Then she placed her hands on her hips defiantly, lifting her chin. "And I thought you said you never wanted to see me again!"___

_He was gazing back at her and his voice grew softer. "I was angry, Selena." He said to her. "I said some things I didn't mean." ___

_Selena's lips tightened into a line as she smirked. She shouldn't trust him. She **didn't trust him. She couldn't afford to. For her sake and for Hellewise's. **___

_He bowed his head, pausing, amber eyes searching her face, her expression. ___

_He was wary, she realized. He had no need to be. It was beyond a doubt that he was stronger and faster than her. She couldn't hurt him. "And?" she demanded after a moment, continuing on nonetheless. "How do you know all about me?" ___

_Rayne shrugged at her. "It's easy." He said. And then, "Hold up your hand."___

_Selena frowned at him. "What?"___

_Endymion arched an eyebrow. "I don't bite unless you want me to." He said in a mischievous tone, that taunting smile spreading across his lips. She could almost say it was endearing if she weren't thinking of ways to hurt him. Of ways to make him cry out. And maybe not in pain. ___

_Her cheeks flamed.___

_And Rayne was smiling impishly still. "Do you want me to?" he asked innocently, tilting his head. The amber of eyes seemed to grow hotter, flaming with life.___

_Selena scowled before finally raising her hand with a sigh.___

_His smile softened. "Close your eyes." He ordered quietly, voice gentle enough to lull a baby to sleep. In fact it was having serious effects on her and all she was doing was having a conversation with him. ___

_Selena forced strength into her suddenly weak knees. **Strength, she said to herself. ****Stay focused. And she clenched her jaw. "No," she replied stiffly, still holding up her hand to him. "I won't. I don't want to-"**___

_"Is it because you're scared of me?"___

_She swallowed. No weakness. She would show him none. She was vowing it to herself, repeating it over and over in her mind. For some reason she knew one moment of weakness would ruin things. She didn't know why, she just knew.___

_"Selena?" he persisted.___

_She shook her head to shake his voice from her muddled mind and she spoke before she thought. "Yes." She answered, and she was shameful of the truth she had so easily spilled. "Yes, I am. Are you surprised?" she continued on in a hard tone, feeling the need to cover up her humiliation.___

_He paused, amber eyes hooded. "Hurt actually." He said thoughtfully. "But not surprised." He lifted a hand toward her cheek. "You don't have to be afraid of me anymore, Selena. I don't want to hurt you."___

_Selena's eyes caught on his hand as he brought it toward her face. She reflexively cringed, turning her head away and shutting her eyes tightly.___

_His hand instead caught hold of hers and she cursed herself for playing right into him. But all her hard-worked focus melted away as, under her eyelids, she saw the pink haze explode around her once more. She was suddenly very warm, feeling a gentle heat spread upward from her toes to her face. And a faint tingling rose through her limbs, as if she had been sitting too long with her legs crossed. Under the haze and prickling she heard a faint pounding, a muffled beat to a familiar melody. A dull thump-thump. Over and over.___

_It was only then that she realized it was his heart. It couldn't be her own. She knew instinctively that her heart would not be beating so calmly.___

_Selena settled slowly into a state of awe. There were so many things happening at once. The thumping of his heart faded away into the background of the haze as she began to appreciate her surroundings. Her physical body was numb to the outside world but it was different inside. Inside there was a rage of emotions and pictures. Whirlwinds of images struck her, too quickly for her to pick any out but something told her they would eventually resurface. In a dream or on a lonely day, she would remember. What frightened her, however, was that the visions, the memories, weren't hers. She didn't recognize the tall, dark imposing figure in them. Nor the gentle smile of the petite woman beside the dark stranger. But she recognized the cut of the man's hair. And the lean figure. She also recognized the amber of the woman's eyes, the jet blackness of her long silky hair. And the uniform of the Royal House she wore.___

_She saw the happy smiles they turned on her. A pang shot through her. When had she seen such smiles? Even the tall dark figure shed his blackness when he reached down to pick her up. His lovely grin spread across his face, another familiar characteristic that had been passed down, and his eyes would shine with a tender inner glow. And the woman would lean over his shoulder, reaching down to ruffle her hair or plant small loving kisses on her nose. They were all she knew, all she could see. And the visions were happy, so very happy.___

_They remained light and carefree, fluttering all around her like butterflies. She basked in their warmth, remembering that the only time she had felt this happy had been when her mother had been alive. It was all so comforting and she knew if she had been given the chance she would have stayed in those memories indefinitely, would have let them protect her from harm. ___

_But then a single vision streaked the entire sunny atmosphere black. A dark vision of death and of all that could have been and would never be again. ___

_And then, finally, she settled into the darkness and there was nothing.___

_A breeze woke her, brought her physical body back into being. And she sucked in air as if she hadn't been breathing the whole time. She blinked to clear her hazy vision and Rayne Endymion came into view before her, eyes shut tightly. She blinked at the sudden brightness of the day, the clouds almost as blinding as the sun and she staggered backward feeling uncharacteristically weak. Her hands were wrenched from his and he instinctively reached out, lifted a hand back toward her, toward her cheek. To revive that pink haze.___

_"Oh, no!" she gasped, throwing up her hands reflexively. The back of one of her hands came into contact with her cheek and she felt a strange wetness along her face. She came to a stop, touching her cheeks hesitantly, her eyes trained on him.___

_Streaked with tears. Her face was streaked with tears.___

_Rayne merely gazed at her, cloaked in his blackness. But his honey-colored eyes watched her intently, a muscle working in his jaw.___

_Selena wiped at her face, the backs of her hands erasing the evidence of shame. "What is this?" she whispered and then demanded in a hard tone, "What…was **that?" she rubbed her cheeks, rubbed until she felt as if they would be scraped off.**___

_Rayne's hands met behind his back under the cape. "That was our bond." He answered her quietly, and he seemed to have collected himself. "And those were my memories."___

_Selena pulled her hands away from her face slowly and glared at him. "Our bond?" she asked and she laughed harshly but she saw no humor in the situation. Nothing but shame that he was always catching her off guard and making her feel weak in the knees. She shook her head at him. "Why did you do that to me? Why did you show me that?"___

_He shrugged elegantly. "You are my soulmate. I felt an urge to share." He answered her simply.___

_Selena blinked at him. "I'm your what?" she asked in disbelief. When he opened his mouth to repeat his sentence she shook him off. "No. No. Forget it. I don't want to hear it." She ran her hand over her cheek once more to make sure no more tears had fallen in her absentmindedness. "Just…stay away from me, Endymion." And she turned away.___

_Half of her wanted him to come after her, to not let her walk away. She wanted it badly, needed it because it would prove that she was feeling something and that she wasn't the only one feeling it. But she knew that another few powerful visions like the ones she had just witnessed and she would be a mass of quivering nerves on the ground. She didn't want to relive those memories of his. They were in the past, his past, and there they would remain. So she was happy he didn't come after her.___

_However, a part of her forced her to pause. She came to a stop and gazed at the ground, summoning strength to speak to him once more. With a deep calming breath to soothe her nerves she called to him over her shoulder, seeing his lean figure in her peripheral vision. "Endymion…" And she turned slightly, feeling the need to look at him, pass her eyes over him.___

_He was still watching her thoughtfully.___

_"You had a…" she bowed her head, eyes closing, "Lovely family…" Then she knew it was the right time to leave him and she did so, no longer aware of herself. Her mind and body seemed numb, scorched.___

_And she didn't question the use of her tenses as she walked away.___


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven:

The Present

"You wanted to talk to me?" Thierry asked, opening the door of his office to allow Thea to enter. She swept in, a bundle of anxiety and waited before his desk, dancing a bit. Thierry frowned at her, closing the door slowly and the second the lock sounded she burst.

"I want to help her!"

Thierry blinked, having barely taken a step. "Her…Selena?" he asked her before shaking his head and correcting himself. "Chime?"

"Yes. Chime." Thea bobbed her head as he came forward several strides. "I want to help her find Rayne. I want a happy ending to her life story."

Thierry paused and stared at her. "A happy ending." He echoed warily. "You want to help her find-" and his eyes widened as her meaning sank in. "Oh, no. No, Thea." He shook his head, "Bad idea. _Very bad idea."_

"Please, Thierry. Please?" Thea suddenly pleaded. She threw up any control she may have had and clasped her hands together. "She's lonely. I can feel it from her. And she's been living with that for years."

Thierry held up his hands, moving around her to stride toward his desk. "I understand exactly what she's going through, Thea. I've been through it-"

"You've been through it!" Thea interrupted quickly. "That's what you just said, right? That you had been through it?"

Thierry slowed as he rounded his desk and his dark eyes studied her face as she eagerly awaited his answer. "Yes, that's what I just said-" he answered her cautiously and he prayed his answer would not get him into any trouble.

Thea's expression was triumphant. "And would you wish it on anyone?" she questioned.

Thierry fell into his chair. Actually, plopped was more of the appropriate word. He felt like a fish out of water, mouth open to answer. But he hesitated and Thea's face softened.

"Would you?" she asked calmly this time. She came forward stopping on the other side of his desk, facing him across it. "Thierry, I just spent hours with her, reliving her memories." She said and she shook her head, grimacing, "I can't say I've been through what she's been through because I haven't. But you have, Thierry. Always with a second chance at being with Hannah."

Thierry merely gazed at her and Thea continued onward quickly before he decided she vaguely resembled dinner. "Chime has one chance, Thierry. Just one. And without help she has no chance at all." She broke off, hoping her sense of emptiness had somehow been transferred to the Night Lord through her words.

Thierry's hands met at the tip of his fingers, pressing his index fingers to his lips and he seemed to be thinking to himself. His dark eyes flew to the witch's face and he asked behind his fingers, "What exactly are you proposing, Thea?"

Thea sat on the corner of his desk, a mischievous smile suddenly lighting her face. "Somewhere in the records of the witches, dating all the way back to Hellewise there must have been mention of where the dragons are buried. Or held." She confided in a conspiratorial whisper.

Thierry arched an eyebrow at her. "I hope you're not asking what I think you're asking." He said, pulling his hands from his lips and he leaned forward, staring her dead in her eyes.

Thea felt a small shiver as she looked into his fathomless dark eyes. "What is it you think I am asking you…sir?" she nearly whimpered.

Thierry smirked. "I'm a vampire, Thea. My relationship to the witches is strained, to say the least. Especially since the death of the crone."

Thea shook her head quickly. "I know you can't help me with that. I understand perfectly well. But what I _do want is your permission to speak with Iliana. As Witch Child she must have some access to those records."_

Theirry's eyes widened a bit as he caught her drift and his hand rose to cover his face momentarily. Thea was almost positive she heard a sigh come from between his fingers. "Let me get this straight…" he said wearily, his voice muffled by his long, slender hands. "You want to go with Chime to visit Iliana. Is that what you're asking?" He didn't bother to wait for her answer. "And you want Iliana to risk herself to help a dragon she's never met even after what happened between her and Azhdeha."

Thea cringed faintly. She hadn't even thought of that in her excitement in working out her plan. But now that she was thinking with a clear head she realized there were a few chinks she needed to work out.

The Night Lord was still talking. "And there's always the chance that in going to Iliana the Night World will discover Chime with you and kill you both." Thierry added almost absentmindedly, as if Thea's death wasn't the most important thing at the moment.

Thea's jaw set as he spoke. "I don't care." She said, suddenly stubborn. She crossed her hands over her chest and gazed down at the Night Lord purposefully."I want to give her this chance. This one chance. After we have the information it'll all be up to her but all I want is to give her the chance."

Thierry's eyes met hers again dead on and this time she didn't feel the need to cower. She felt stronger behind her convictions, strong enough to take on the world. Thierry seemed to sense this from her. He swiveled in his chair thoughtfully, turning his back on her.

Thea frowned delicately, suddenly wondering if he was the type of person to leave another hanging for an answer. If she didn't get his approval she would never be able to work out anyway to help Chime. The dragon would forever search for her soulmate fruitlessly. Thea's frame stiffened a bit as worry built up inside.

Thierry suddenly turned to face her once more, dark eyes veiling his thoughts. "You do what you will, Thea." He said finally, in a tired voice. "But you know the deal. You get caught, you protect Daybreak. Not a word or secret spilled. Do you understand? And you had better answer this question carefully because it might very well mean your life."

Thea's smile was positive and she knew she was glowing. "I got you." She vowed. 

"Two tickets." Lupe Acevedo explained to Thea, sitting beside her on the living room couch. "These will get you to Washington. That's where Iliana's sanctuary is located. From the airport you and Chime will wait in the airport garage, north entrance, second floor, for a black van. License plate," Lupe pointed a slender finger to one of the papers lying on the coffee table before her, tip lying across a number, "23H-TC7. One of Keller's group will be in the passenger seat and there will be a second person, unfamiliar, in the driver's side. They will take you half of the way. Midway point you'll switch cars. Whoever is driving the van will switch you over to a jeep, white, license plate 438-H09. Another of Keller's group will be driving the jeep. The passenger from the van will go with you to the jeep and from there you'll be taken straight to the sanctuary." Lupe finished, her tone brisk and competent and she raised light brown eyes to the blond witch, who seemed almost dizzy with the information. "Questions? Comments? Aspirin?"

Thea blinked blankly. "What..?"

Lupe smiled at her knowingly. "We'll explain it to Chime, too, that way it's not just you having to remember it all."

Thea shook her head, snapping back into reality. "It's ok. I pretty much got it. Just need to remember the license plates…" she leaned into Lupe. "Can I see the tickets?"

Lupe grinned, pointy teeth glinting. "First class, baby."

Thea laughed. "All right. Almost set. Now I have to fill in Chime, whenever she gets in here-" she looked toward the doorway and then at her watch.

At that moment, as if on cue, Chime floated through the doorway, expression thoughtful. She looked up to the two women sitting on the couch and smiled, seemingly flustered. Even absentminded, her strides were graceful, and there was a healthy glow to her face. Her smile was turned on Lupe by way of greeting and Lupe smiled back. "I'm sorry I'm late…got caught up back there…" Chime said.

She wasn't about to say that her attention had been held by a bottle of brandy in a glass case in the kitchen. She had actually been early but in looking around she had found the bottle and where had the time flown after that? She didn't know. She shrugged to herself and came further into the room. "You wanted to see me?" she inquired.

Thea smiled gently and patted the couch cushions beside her. "Yeah, Chime. I did. I need to tell you something."

Her tone frightened Chime a bit and her happy smile faltered. "What's wrong?" she asked softly, almost sorrowfully. "Are you ok? Is everything all right?" she looked at Lupe who had averted her eyes and her alarm grew. "Why are you looking at me like that, Thea?" she came forward and settled slowly into the couch.

Thea held up to tickets and her wise brown eyes were on them as she began to explain. "These are airplane tickets. To Washington." She said.

Chime frowned.

Thea cocked her head and her subject was suddenly different. "Do you know the Legend of the Wild Powers?" she asked.

Chime blinked and the world briefly spun without her. "What?" she asked, shaking her head. "Do I know the Legend of the Wild Powers?"

Thea nodded.

Chime paused momentarily, looking down at the coffee table, eyes unseeing. "The Wild Powers." She mused and looked up after a second. "Yeah. The Four who will stand at the Millennium." She stopped and pulled back a bit, realization dawning upon her. "Wow. The Millennium is pretty close now that I think about it." She exhaled, shaking her head, "Wow…"

Thea waved her hand, almost impatiently. "Right, them. Well, so far Daybreak has found three of them. One of them is Iliana Harman, also known as the Witch Child." She stared at Chime, breaking off.

The dragon glanced from Thea to Lupe. "Iliana Harman." She repeated slowly, "Witch Child. Got it…" she hesitated, shaking her head in bemusement. "Is that…supposed to mean something?"

Lupe smiled faintly.

Thea waved the tickets at Chime. "As Wild Power, Iliana is pretty important. But as Witch Child even more so." She put the tickets down on Chime's lap and the dragon took them into her hands, her blue eyes never leaving Thea's face. Thea motioned to the tickets and Chime finally looked down at them quizzically. "We're going to visit Iliana and we're going to convince her to get us some information."

Chime was confused. "Information?" she asked uncertainly.

"Information." Thea echoed. And she inhaled deeply. "On the resting places of the dragons."

Chime blinked in stunned disbelief, the color draining from her face. She looked at the tickets again, lips parting as if to speak but no sound seemed to be able to come forth and her breathing was shallow, rattling faintly. She closed her mouth and swallowed.

Thea became worried. "Chime?"

Chime looked up into her brown eyes, still stupefied. Then she was raising a hand to her lips and Thea realized her hands were trembling, clutching the tickets tightly, almost enough to crush.

Thea gazed at her. "Don't you want this? Don't you want to do this-" 

But her sentence was cut off as Chime leaned forward suddenly, throwing her arms around Thea's neck. For a moment there was no sound but the labored breathing of the dragon in her ear. And then she was babbling, sentences running on into a mess of words. "Oh, thank you, Thea! Thank you so much! So much!" she whispered, her frame trembling faintly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Thea embraced her back, feeling her anxiety crumble away into happiness. "Thank me after we find out what we need." She said against the dragon's shoulder.

"Remember." Lupe said softly from where she sat in the back of the nondescript van. Her eyes shifted to Nilsson absentmindedly, focused on his immovable figure in the front driver's seat. "First the black van, airport garage…"

"North side, second floor." Thea intoned, bored. "We understand. We got you."

Chime's eyes were also on Nilsson, her thoughts a mass jumble. He hadn't changed at all in the passed eighteen years. It was almost scary.

"Chime?" Lupe asked.

Chime nodded, dragging her gaze to the werewolf. "Yeah, I'm here. I understand." She nodded, snapping back to attention. She looked at Lupe. "You'll be watching us?"

Lupe nodded, silver brown hair shimmering in the sunlight that streamed through the window. "All the way." She said. "The tickets are under the names Thea Harman and Selena Devlin. I figured I wouldn't be able to get you to respond to any other name in such a short amount of time."

Chime smiled at her. "I got it, don't worry. To tell the truth you're probably right. It took me a few years for Chime to sink in all the way."

Thea reached for the car door. "Are we set, then? Our flight is in a few minutes."

Lupe nodded once more. "All set. Have a safe trip."

"It's all we ask." Chime sighed.


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight:

_The Past___

_ _

_Selena Chimes leaned against the pillar, fitting her slender frame behind it. Her breathing was slow, controlled and faint, even to her own ears. But there was a louder puffing coming her way, footsteps staggering and stumbling toward her. She smiled a bit, almost enjoying herself. Rayne had allowed her to tag along on one of his duties, his rounds, and today he had been assigned to bring in a shifter who was on the run. The werewolf seemed to hold an awful grudge against the Prince for he kept trying to kill him. Selena didn't understand it and she didn't want to. As long as she got to watch Rayne at work.___

_She frowned. Now that she thought about it, in the chase she had lost Rayne. One minute they had both been after the shifter, taking their time to bring him down. And now? Now she was stuck behind the pillar, listening as the werewolf crawled ever closer to her position. Maybe if she could bring the shifter in herself she could finally have something to hold against Rayne, finally show him she could take care of herself. Better than any other half-breed out there.___

_Yes, she was definitely going to try.___

_A footstep scraped right beside her and she rolled along the pillar, her fist rising. She caught him by surprise. The back of knuckles smashed into his neck soundly and the werewolf staggered backward with a broken gasp. He landed flat on his rear, black claws lifting to scratch at his neck as he choked for a breath. Selena came to stand before him, looking down at him. "Are you **crazy?" she demanded.**___

The werewolf continued to wheeze, shoulders lifting and falling with each strained breath.

_"I mean, going after the prince?" she asked. And her eyes widened. "**Twice, might I add! You have a certain death wish!"**___

_The 'wolf's eyes rose to meet hers and they shone a liquid silver, standing out amongst his black fur. His lips pulled back from his sharp teeth and he hissed at her painfully, a hand dropping to the ground behind him.___

_Selena shook her head. "Don't try anything." She warned him, feeling a strange prickling along her spine, surrounding her horns. Something was up, he was going to act she somehow knew. Almost absentmindedly she shifted to her side, into a ready stance.___

_The werewolf snarled then and his body was suddenly in the air. Chime felt herself follow him in slow motion, her head lifting as he flew through the air. His foot was moving, lashing out and she instinctively brought her hands down, blocking his attack but she never saw the claws. They were just there and then she felt a burning along her cheeks, caught the faint glimpse of blood spray. Her legs gave out under her and she toppled backward.___

_The 'wolf came at her again, dropping down on top of her and his muzzle was in her face, his breath hot in her ear. She growled angrily and grabbed him with weak hands, forcing a grip on his matted fur. There was something warm sliding down her face toward her lips and jaw and she knew it was her blood. Her cheek was stinging painfully and she suddenly wanted him to hurt, hurt more than she did. Her right hand yanked backward, ripping fur from his body and he howled, a shriek of surprise that turned into agony. She felt satisfaction and it drove her on, moved her to buck under him. Her knee slammed into his crotch and flung him off, forced him into a forward toss. His weight lifted away and she managed a brief inhalation before whirling onto her stomach and looking toward him.___

_He seemed to have managed a roll for he was standing quickly and he risked a backward glance toward her, perhaps wondering if he should finish the job. ___

_Chime caught sight of movement from a pillar straight ahead, passed the one the 'wolf was standing next to. And the figure turned into Rayne. His face was dark, darker than she had ever seen it and his eyes blazed furiously. Her own eyes widened as a flicker of fear coursed through her.___

_He looked very mad.___

_The 'wolf turned, obviously having made up his mind to forget about her. And by then Rayne was attacking. He was truly beautiful in form, in stance. And he moved with ease. He darted forward, pulling up close to the 'wolf and he jumped toward the pillar. His left leg landed against the pillar and he pushed himself off lithely onto his side in mid-air. His right leg swung out, catching the shifter across his face and the 'wolf's head snapped to the side, something cracking audibly in the process. Rayne completed his horizontal spin in the air, falling to his feet and bending his knees to absorb the impact.___

_The werewolf fell to the ground limply and without a word.___

_Selena stared, mouth open in shock. Her eyes drifted to the shifter and all she could do was continue to stare. He wasn't moving at all and something had definitely been broken in the attack. She looked at Rayne who crouched smoothly beside the werewolf and checked him. ___

_"Is he dead?" Selena whispered, swallowing painfully.___

_Rayne glanced at her and rose again, coming toward her. "No." he answered quietly, bending toward her. His fingers touched her chin and he raised her face up. A grimace crossed his face as he examined her cheek. "I didn't kill him. Perhaps I should have." He murmured.___

_Selena shook her head. "No. No. It's fine. It's over." She said and she sat up slowly, lifting a hand to her face. There were four gashes across her face and she winced as they began to throb. She hadn't felt it much when she had watched Rayne but now they were really beginning to hurt. She looked at her hand as it came away and the tips of her fingers were red with blood. "Ow…"___

_The corners of Rayne's lips tightened. "I knew I should never have allowed you to come. What was I thinking?" he asked himself rhetorically, and he brought a corner of his cloak to her cheek, rubbed at the gashes gently.___

_Selena smiled at him. "You were thinking that if you heard me whine anymore, you'd be driven insane. Remember?" she asked teasingly, staring into his amber eyes.___

_He arched an eyebrow at her, still focused on cleansing her cheek. "Hm. Yes. It's all coming back to me now." He answered in a tone that told her he was clearly not enjoying the humor in the situation.___

_Selena swallowed a laugh. "Stop worrying about me, I'm fine. You should worry about the 'wolf." She motioned behind him with a dismissive gesture. ___

_Rayne nodded, his hand dropping away, the cloak fluttering around his legs. But he clasped her cold hand nonetheless and pulled her with him as he returned to the shifter. "You did pretty good, actually." He said after a moment. He bent, wrapping an arm around the 'wolf's waist and lifting him up over his shoulder.___

_"Did I?" Selena asked him, fighting the pleased grin that threatened to break over her face and blind her soulmate.___

_Rayne half-smiled. "Yeah. You did good." He nodded again and began to lead her toward the First House. "Which surprises me a bit, I have to admit-"___

_"Hey." She said, faking a scowl.___

_He laughed. "No, I mean that it surprises me because here I was thinking you did all this and yet you hate the prince." He arched an eyebrow at her as they walked, as he dragged the 'wolf's body over his shoulder and Selena's hand in his.___

_Selena looked down as she strolled beside him. The world was turning a hazy pink and she fought it because she knew if she let it envelop all she would start mumbling and not making sense. "Well, hate is such a harsh word…" she murmured. "I don't **hate him, I just don't…like him…much…"**___

Rayne smiled faintly. "Darling, you don't even know him." He reminded her gently.

_Selena felt warmth in her stomach. He rarely used terms of endearment on her but that just made her treasure the moments he did even more. "I know…I mean, it's not likely I ever will." She shrugged. "But you…you have this bond with him, you are so close to him. Why?"___

_He hesitated in answering her question, even slowing a bit in pace to match hers. His eyes shifted over to glance at her out of the corners and she was looking up at him, blue eyes wide. "Well," he said, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, "I was raised with him. He's my friend. Since we were little kids. My mother was one of his personal guardians. My father used to say she was the best of them all, and that was pretty good considering she was a woman…"___

_The corner of Selena's lips quirked but she remained quiet.___

_He exhaled in a soft whoosh. "So, yeah. Friends from the beginning. My mother used to say he would be the one to change everything. He would be the one to right it all, unite the people. Since he was young he was…**wise." Rayne cocked his head. "He had a conscience and he was going to use it to bring peace between the shifters and witches. It was prophesized."**___

_Selena nodded, impressed. "Tall order." She remarked. She raised her eyes to him questioningly. "So…what happened? Why are we all still fighting?"___

_Rayne looked toward the First House, eyes catching on the guards positioned at the doors. "His father was killed not too long after and my mother, who was Guardian to his father, then became Guardian to the prince. Someone out there thought she was filling his head with nonsense, that there would be no peace because it wasn't possible. And then she was killed protecting him." Rayne looked down at her, eyes still narrowed a bit. "She was killed by one of our own and we still don't know who."___

_Selena was gazing at him, horrified. She had never heard this, from anyone. She knew he had had a bleak past but this was worse than she had expected. ___

_He seemed to chuckle at her shock. "Not long after, my father left me. Said he couldn't look at me without being reminded of my mother. And the Prince took me in. When I became old enough I took over for my mother and became his guardian. And here I am today." He concluded with a shrug that almost upset the balance of the shifter on his shoulder.___

_Selena swallowed thickly. "I am so sorry." She whispered, her hand tightening around his. "If I had known, Rayne, I would never have asked you-"___

_He nodded. "It's all right." He said soothingly. "I figured it was time I told you anyway. Some day soon." His lips tightened into a line and he paused for they had reached the marble steps. "Wait here a moment? I'm going to bring him in and then be right out." He said and he released her hand to examine her face once more. "It's healing. There's the pool, wash it a bit and I'll come back and see how it is."___

She nodded. "All right. Don't be long." She said quietly and she watched him as he swept up the steps and vanished into the tall doors.

The Present

Chime awoke suddenly, gasping for air and Thea's hand closed around her wrist. "Hey. Hey." She whispered calmly. "It's ok. It's just a dream." She said, rubbing the dragon's arm.

Chime looked at her, turning her head along the airport seat. She exhaled loudly, a quick breath and then nodded, swallowing. "Yeah. I'm ok." She said softly. She blinked to clear the sleep from her eyes. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked, squinting.

Thea frowned. "About two hours. Maybe a bit less. We'll be landing soon." She added. "Maybe you should stay awake now?"

Chime glanced toward the seat in front absentmindedly before nodding. "That's probably for the best. I don't think I'll get anymore sleep after what I just dreamt." She looked back at Thea quickly. "Did you see?" she asked.

Thea smiled a bit sadly. "Yeah. I hope you don't mind." Her smile became a teasing grin. "He's so cute." She laughed.

And Chime laughed with her. "Yeah, he was." She agreed. And then in a murmur, "Arrogant little…"

Thea was nervous. But not nearly so much as Chime. The remainder of the flight had been uneventful as they had hoped. And now the airport was full, people bustling about, rushing to claim their luggage. But Chime and Thea had no baggage. All of Chime's things had been burned in the house. The clothes she wore were things she had borrowed from Thea and Blaise. And Thea's things had all fit in a duffel bag.

They would have to do major shopping, Chime decided.

"Okee-dokee. Uh, garage." Thea murmured, looking around. "Second floor." She was stiff, rigid with anxiety and she stood close to Chime, so close they shared the same air.

Chime inhaled to control herself before lifting her hand to the girl's shoulder. "Easy, Thea." She said soothingly. "You have to calm down."

Thea swallowed, her throat working and she linked an arm through Chime's almost fearfully. "I'll calm down once I see a familiar face." She looked around again and Chime had the urge to laugh. But that would have been unkind. Chime was unafraid. She was half-dragon, one of the strongest creatures on earth. She had nothing to worry about. Thea on the other hand…

"Ok. Let's go." Chime said, pulling Thea with her as she began to stroll along. They began to weave through the crowds, following the directions to the garage. And under her breath, low enough only for Thea to hear she hummed the theme to Mission: Impossible, causing Thea to giggle.

They followed the signs to the escalators and began to ascend.

"So, Chime…" Thea said, obviously looking for a topic and the one that came to mind seemed to be better than nothing. "How old was Rayne when you met him?" she asked. And then she rambled on, "I mean, it's not like he can get older, he's probably still beautiful wherever he's hiding himself but when you first met him, how old-"

"He was twenty-four." Chime answered, glancing over her shoulder nonchalantly. She squinted a bit, momentarily letting herself remember him. "Yeah, twenty-four. I remember the Prince was a year older than him." She murmured.

Thea was nodding, looking up toward the top of the escalator which was a bit far off. "Twenty-four. That's a good age. Not too old. Not too young. Or, well, yeah, he's still young but not as young as me, for example…"

Chime arched an eyebrow, bringing herself back to the airport and it was at that precise moment that she caught sight of the man. Tall. Dark. And familiar. Disturbingly familiar. She narrowed her eyes to near slits and wondered why he looked so familiar. Someone from the long-gone past?

He looked up from his position at the base of the escalator and their eyes met.

A memory rose, hitting Chime between her eyes. Smoke. Gasoline. A flame coming to life between cupped fingers. And finally, fire everywhere. She realized she was stiff, eyes wide in fear and she watched as the man moved forward toward the escalator, shoving his way onto it.

Thea was still rambling on. "Eric isn't that much older than me, but then again he will eventually become older." She said, chatting cheerfully. "We'll both become older but that's ok because he'll be with me and-"

Chime found her voice, her blue eyes still caught on the man below. They were close to the top and he was just at the bottom. "Thea…" she whispered faintly, and she swallowed. "Are you a fast runner?" she whirled, gaze straying to the top of the escalator. The top floor didn't seem to be as full as the main. They would have more cover below.

Thea was confused. "Am I a fast what?"

Chime reached out a hand to her, still focused on the top of the escalator. "Give me your duffel bag." She ordered, adrenaline kicking in. She spared a quick glance at Thea and the witch pulled off the duffel bag in bemusement, handing it over wordlessly. "Good." She mumbled. "Now you and me are going to hop over this rail here onto the down escalator because if we don't we're going to get killed."

Thea was staring at her with a frown.

"Do you understand me?" she asked, turning to look toward the man below once more. He was shoving his way forward, ignoring angry replies and retorts from the humans surrounding him. Chime swallowed once more, felt the thick ball force its way down her throat and she spun to face Thea. "Do you understand?!"

"Yes." Thea answered in a whisper, face paling.

Chime gave her a reassuring smile. "Good." She nodded. She placed her hand on the rubber rail of the escalator. "Because here we go."

And with that she was moving. The duffel bag was secure around her shoulder, the strap crossing down over her breast. She pressed her weight down on the rail and then shoved herself up, lifting her legs. Her body swung directly across the space between the up and down escalators and she landed on the down escalator, ramming into people and stumbling a bit. "Sorry!" she apologized quickly, "Sorry." And she looked toward Thea.

Thea was having difficulty. She didn't swing so much as climb. Her footing was a bit off but she managed to throw herself over onto the down escalator, staggering off balance. A young man even reached out, helping her safely.

"Thanks." She said to him with a breathless smile as Chime climbed up a step toward her. And then the witch stared at the young man, a frown crossing her forehead.

The dark stranger was halfway up. Chime turned, pushing herself as far back to the side of the escalator as possible, keeping a wide bridge of distance between herself and her stalker. A woman came down beside her, looking down toward the bottom of the down staircase nonchalantly. She covered Chime's view of the man and Chime breathed a sigh of momentary relief. She reached a hand toward Thea and pulled her down next to her, keeping her close. She felt worked up, ready for anything. But in the far corner of her mind she hoped that the man would have enough sense not to attack in a crowded airport. Beside her Thea had finally turned her attention away from the young man who had helped her and Chime exhaled. Thank the Goddess, now was not the time to be checking out guys.

The man rode up as they came down and just as they almost came to head, the woman blocking the NightWorlders from each other whirled, reaching up and clamping onto Thea's collar.

"What the f-" Chime uttered in surprise.

The woman was dark as well, black hair cut short, a strange gleam shining in her deep, chocolate brown eyes. She pulled Thea down roughly, small hands locking onto her shirt, as the man came up directly opposite them.

Thea cried out, staggering, and her feet came off the floor.

Chime blinked once before shifting into offense. She stepped forward, her arm snaking around Thea's arms and chest and she yanked the girl back, her grip strong. Thea yelped as she was hoisted back but the woman wasn't releasing her and her shirt tore, the tear resounding through the suddenly quiet airport.

Chime clenched her jaw, shoving herself in between the woman and Thea and she pushed the witch away carelessly, leaving the woman with handfuls of Thea's shirt. The woman threw the cloth pieces aside and opened her mouth wide, hissing. Chime swung once, her knuckles smashing into the woman's perfect, sharp teeth and without a second thought she threw herself forward, ramming into the woman. The force flung the woman, picking her up neatly and sending her hurtling back across the railing and into her partner who was directly on the other side.

Murmurs of shock and disbelief rose from the crowd.

"Come on." Chime said under her breath. And then she was shouting it, "Come on!" and she grabbed Thea's wrist and yanked, climbing down the escalator. The people parted for her, allowing her to pass and staring at them as they hurried by.

"Who were they?" Thea asked breathlessly, glancing over her shoulder. The man and the woman were still disentangling themselves from each other up above.

"Losers." Chime growled.

They reached the foot of the escalator and Chime's head snapped up as she became aware of nearing footsteps. She risked a quick glance and saw them. Guards. Security for the airport. She looked back around, hesitating helplessly, and she didn't know where to go. The fastest way to the garage was along the second floor but there was absolutely no way she was going back up there. And precious seconds were being lost as she stood there and contemplated frantically.

"This way." The young man from earlier said, hopping down behind them. It was the same one who had assisted Thea on the escalator.

Chime whirled on him, pulling Thea behind her automatically. She raised a hand to him, warding him off warily. "Stay away-"

"No!" Thea suddenly cried. "No!" she shook her head and began to pull Chime's hand. "We can trust him! It's Galen!" And happiness mixed with relief was blossoming on her face.

Chime narrowed her eyes into slits. "He could be my freaking father for all I care, Thea-" she began and she glanced over her shoulder toward the security guards nearing.

The man, a handsome one with fiery, golden hair and piercing green eyes reached out and caught hold of Chime's extended wrist. "I'm part of what was Angel Rescue." He explained in a hurry and he swept passed them, tugging on Chime.

Chime only followed when Thea did, peeking once more behind her at the guards who were closing in. "This wasn't part of the plan." She called to the young man but she began to run, instantly catching up to him, the forward swing of her arms propelling her onwards. Thea was pulled roughly along by the both of them and she squeaked disdainfully.

The man, Galen, motioned toward the NightWorlders who were making their way back down to the main level quickly and gracefully. "Neither were they." He said, weaving through the crowds.

The sign up ahead read _'Garage'.___

"How did they know?" Thea demanded emotionally and her hand tightened on Chime's wrist as they sprinted.

"You got me." Galen answered her, calling back to her. "You're just damn lucky I decided to get out of the van." He released Chime's hand and raced ahead, rounding a corner. Chime caught a small shift in the lean muscles under his T-shirt. A shape-shifter perhaps. Most likely.

Galen, she thought to herself as she tried to keep him in her sights. He was unbelievably fast, even for a shifter, his body lean with rippling muscles and smooth skin. And again, she asked herself, Galen. Why was that name so familiar? Galen. Galen. Galen-

Drache.

Chime's jaw dropped open and she nearly stumbled and went sliding across the floor. "No way…" she uttered dumbly, slowing despite herself. It couldn't be, the shifters wouldn't allow that of their prince. And yet he matched the description. Galen Drache, the young Prince of the First House of Shape Shifters. Gold. Green. Elegant. Royal. The one who had united the witches and shape-shifters with the Witch Child present.

Of course. If he had helped the Witch Child before, helped her stay alive, why not remain her guardian and protector? He would be used to her, the way she worked.

Galen came to a skidding stop and looked around quickly.

The Prince of Shape-Shifters was an Agent of Circle Daybreak. Chime wanted to laugh at the thought. But as the young man led them out into the orange-lit garage she found the revelation more shocking than humorous. It was definitely not terribly funny at the moment.

The Dragon Prince would never have become something like that.

A black van came up on shrieking tires, stopping directly before them. And an unfamiliar man leaned across the passenger seat toward the window and motioned toward them. "Let's get this show on the road!" he shouted.

"Did you get the plate?" The asked Chime under her breath as she finally caught up.

And indeed she had. 23H-TC7.

Galen opened the side sliding door of the van and looked at them, waiting. Chime shoved forward, practically flinging Thea into the darkness of the back compartment before throwing herself in. And then the door slid shut behind them both, enveloping them in total blackness. There was the sound of the passenger side door slamming shut and then the van was moving, jerking about and correcting itself roughly after a moment.

A small panel in the front slid open, shedding bright light into the dark compartment. Galen glanced in, smiling reassuringly. "Please excuse the bumpy ride, there may be some turbulence." He said.

"We're in a van, Galen!" Thea laughed happily, nearly glowing with her relief. "You were supposed to use that line on the airplane!"

Chime glanced from Thea to Galen, who made a face at the witch and she knew things would be all right. For the moment.


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine:

Raksha Keller pushed aside the flannel shirt she wore and looked down at her bodysuit, searching for the time on her pager. They were late by ten minutes. And the traffic couldn't account for it. They were supposed to be taking a deserted route to meet her. She raised her eyes to the blue sky, crossing her arms and frowned. It was too clear, the day too quiet. Something had gone wrong. She felt it in her bones. If nothing else they were alive. Even through the distance she was tied to her soulmate, Galen. She hoped they were ok, the dragon included, although the memories of Azhdeha were still fresh in her mind.

There was the sound of a car.

She lowered her head, silver eyes narrowing. If it wasn't them there would be some blood spilled on this deserted road. Uncrossing her arms she rose away from the side of the white jeep she rested on and waited.

A vehicle was coming. And fast. The dirt it was throwing up was enough to block the size of it but not the color.

Black.

She prepared herself nonetheless, shifting her muscles a bit. Her senses heightened as she called to them, and now she could see through the dirt to the black van racing her way. She heard the pebbles as the van crunched over them. She almost choked on the dust. Now she had to wait to see how it played out. Galen knew what he had to do. If he didn't follow through she would do her job first and regret later. That was the way it had to be and that was the way it would be.

The van slowed as it pulled up beside her jeep and she saw Galen in the front passenger side. His green eyes came to rest on her as the van stopped and she arched a black eyebrow at him. He looked away and pushed open his side door, getting out. He slid the back door of the van open and Thea Harman came out onto the road, lifting a hand to calm her blond hair. A second person came out after her, a blond-haired woman with a suspicious look on her face.

The dragon.

Galen shut the door behind the young women and came around the van, patting the driver of the van on the shoulder as a farewell.

Thea and the dragon followed cautiously.

Keller lifted her head and stared Galen down, watched him through hooded eyes.

Galen came up to her, sauntering up before her. There was a mischievous look on his face, an 'I-know-a-secret' look. He paused several inches away from her and leaned into her, eyebrow lifting. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" he asked in a low tone and Keller was struck by the smoothness of his tone. For a moment she simply forgot that he was supposed to come onto her. It was part of the plan but they had never practiced it. They should have because she was suddenly feeling a bit weak in the knees.

She nearly forgot her line but it came to her as Galen sent her a questioning look. "Waiting for my prince." She finally whispered, gazing up at him with glassy eyes.

Thea glanced toward the woman beside her, the dragon, and the blond woman was scowling, looking around cautiously. As if it were a trap.

Galen lifted his arms out at his sides. "Well, wait no more. Here I am," He said softly, eyes still trained on Keller. And then he shifted back into the sweet faced proper young man Keller knew him to be. He turned to Thea and the dragon and called, "Ladies. Let's get going."

Keller felt a tightening in her chest as she simply stared at him. The contact. She needed the contact or she would have to finish it, she would have to end the meeting the wrong way-

Galen turned back to her and leaned forward once more, this time invading her space. His lips brushed her cheekbone momentarily but it was enough. Their soulmate link flared, the silver line shimmering in the darkness and in that small eternity Keller could hear Galen laugh mentally.

Keller instantly exhaled in relief. Then she narrowed her eyes at him as he pulled back. "Why don't you use that tone on me when we're alone?" she asked him and she flashed him a teasing smile.

"Wasn't sure if you were into it," he shrugged.

Keller tilted her head thoughtfully. "I wasn't sure either but now…coming from you…" she let the sentence die as she gazed at him. He stared back, an impish smile curling his lips.

And then Thea cleared her throat.

The dragon began to pat down the duffel bag she carried. "Damn it, where were those handcuffs I was carrying?" she murmured mischievously.

Keller's eyes finally took in Thea's appearance, the tattered shirt that hung in rips. "They knew." She stated, looking at Galen for confirmation. She pulled off the flannel shirt she wore over her uniform and came up to Thea, wrapping it around her slender frame.

"They knew." Galen nodded. He motioned to the dragon. "Raksha Keller meet Chime Devlin."

Keller looked at the woman suspiciously, her silver eyes running up and down the dragon's frame. She was a pretty little thing. Maybe not little. They were almost the same height, Keller beating her out by an inch or two. The dragon had golden-blond hair and milky skin, smooth. And she had the eyes and face of a child. Wide blue eyes. A soft mouth. And a straight, upturned nose.

Chime stared back at Keller, studying her. The woman had black hair, long and silky looking, an elegant bone structure to her face, with sculpted cheekbones and faint hollows under them. Tight jaw. A definite model type if she would lose the wary expression in those silver-gray eyes.

They were complete opposites.

Keller was moving, holding out her long, slender arm. "Welcome aboard." She said finally. Chime accepted the handshake with a look of relief and Keller suddenly knew. Chime wasn't like Azhdeha. The power was there, it radiated from the dragon and thrummed down her arm, into her hand and through her grasp into Keller. Yes, it was there. But the will to use it was not.

"Let's get going, then." Galen said with a nod.

The driver of the black van honked once and they turned to him as he saluted them. Then he was backing up, the van veering and driving back off the way it had come.

Keller motioned to the jeep. "Let's get out of here." She said and she waited until the group had climbed in before seating herself and starting up the jeep. A moment later they were off, disappearing into clouds of dust.

Chime looked up at the average looking mansion. Average only because it didn't seem to fit the definition of a sanctuary. She frowned at Thea beside her who threw her a look of reassurance.

The jeep beeped as Keller checked the alarm and then she and Galen were coming up the circular driveway toward them where they waited at the foot of the mansion. "We have wards surrounding the house." She explained as she joined them, looking up at the second floor windows.

The mansion rested on top of a cliff. Redwood trees had blocked the view of the sanctuary from the road and behind the mansion the cliff dropped away suddenly. Chime craned her neck to the side and noticed the small, beaten path that led around the mansion and over the edge of the cliff. She could only guess that there was a shore below. 

Keller was still looking up at the windows.

Chime glanced up also just in time to see a pale face pull away from the window, curtain falling back into place.

"I swear, that girl is too damn curious." Keller sighed and Galen gave her a sympathetic smile.

"That was Iliana." Thea whispered in an excited tone.

Iliana Harman. Witch Child. Chime squinted thoughtfully. She had looked awfully young from the quick glance she had gotten of her.

Keller clutched the car keys against her side and glanced over her shoulder toward Chime and Thea. Galen was already moving, striding toward the front of the mansion. He hopped up the front steps in one smooth jump and cast a quick look at Keller. His hand grasped the shiny doorknob.

"Come on." Keller said in a low tone and she sprinted up the steps, her figure agile and lovely. She hesitated behind Galen, slowing to a stop, her hand reaching to touch his elbow and he looked down at her blankly.

"Let's go. We have to go in." Thea said suddenly in an urgent voice. She pulled Chime and the dragon allowed herself to be dragged. As they came up to the door they heard Keller whisper to Galen.

"Count of three." She whispered softly against his ear. "One, two, three."

Galen shoved the door open into a large cubicle and Keller streaked passed him, going toward a corner of the box. Thea pulled Chime forward, arm winding around the dragon's waist and then the door slammed shut behind them, Galen securing it and locking it.

Chime looked at him with a frown. And then in the upper left corner of the wall a small red bulb began to blink brightly. She glanced at it and then stared, confused by it. Thea's brown eyes were also on it.

"You have yours?" Keller demanded at the exact moment that Galen came off the door. He darted toward the other corner, opposite Keller and flashed a key at her with a determined smile. Then they were both turning to two separate control panels in their respective corners, Keller brandishing her own key. Together they shoved their keys into key slots and Keller inhaled shakily. "One. Two. Three."

In unison they turned their keys and looked toward the bulb flickering near the ceiling.

The red bulb blinked off.

"What was that?" Chime whispered as Galen exhaled in relief. Her blue eyes were wide and she fixed them on Thea in confusion.

"That," Keller said, leaning away from the panel, "was the first round of security. The second anyone opens a door or forces a window that light goes on in every room. For one minute. Which means if Iliana is in the mansion she has a minute before the second alarm goes off." She shoved the key into her pocket and then fished out her car keys again, unlocking the other door of the cubicle. The door opened up into the mansion and she beckoned for them to follow.

Chime moved forward, Thea with her and Galen bringing up the rear.

"The second alarm is an actual siren. That goes off for two minutes. By then hopefully Iliana will be safe in the sub-level basements." Keller said, pausing in the center of the hallway.

"And if she isn't?" Chime asked, swallowing.

Keller looked at her over her shoulder and her face was closed off, emotionless. "Then we wouldn't have done a good enough job."

Chime nodded, not reassured but finally looked about. The mansion was amazing. A large staircase directly before her branched off into separate left and right wings, large windows bordering the staircase landing. On the ground floor there were rooms on the left and right of her and more doorways leading into even more rooms under the branching staircases.

"Ok." Thea said, snapping Chime back to reality. "So what if you don't shut off the alarm in the next two minutes?"

Keller motioned toward the ceiling, pointing to a vent on the wall. "Gas. Sleeping gas. We, as bodyguards to the Witch Child take shots every week, so that the gas doesn't affect us. But it will affect the intruders. That goes on for ten minutes. Iliana has to be in the sub-level basements by then. Has to be."

Chime dreaded her next question. "And if she isn't?"

Galen shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and looked at Keller warily. Keller glanced at him before shrugging nonchalantly. "There's C4 all over the house, especially in the four corners. Three minutes after the gas, if no one has turned off the alarm…"

Thea's jaw dropped open and she stared at Keller in shock.

"Then?" Chime demanded. "Just…boom?"

Keller nodded. "Yeah. Fifteen minutes to get out of the actual mansion or into the sub-level. If intruders do get in, it's best that the mansion go down with all its secrets then have them handed to the Night World."

"But…but, Iliana…" Thea sputtered, in disbelief. "She's a Wild Power! She has to be alive for the Millennium-"

"Yes, I understand that." Keller nodded reassuringly, "but if the Night World gets a hold of her what are the chances she will be kept alive? It's better she die here than in the hands of the vampires."

Galen's lips were tight, green eyes agreeing with his soulmate.

Chime settled back on her heels, looking around observantly. "A window of fifteen minutes." She murmured. "Not much time…"

A figure suddenly appeared at the top of the staircase, standing in the direct center and all conversation was cut off.

Keller turned as if she had sensed the intrusion. "This is Iliana." She said, motioning upward toward the figure. "Come on down, Iliana."

Chime watched the girl float down.

If there had to be one word to introduce Iliana Harman, the Legendary Witch Child, it would have been beautiful, or stunning. Perhaps even magical. Iliana had milky-pale skin, an angelic baby face with fairy-fine platinum blond hair falling down the sides of her sweet face and back like silk. Her amethyst-purple eyes shone as she came toward the group, and she gave them all a tender smile. There was an aura of goodness about her, a caring expression on her face.

She almost seemed like love in human form.

"Iliana. Meet Chime. The dragon." Keller said slowly.

Iliana's expression didn't waver in the least at the mention of the word. She merely held out her hand and clasped Chime's hand in hers. "Nice to meet you, Chime. Hi, Thea. Nice to see you again." She beamed. "You'll be staying for a while, right? We need new faces around here, I never see anyone." She released Chime to grasp Keller by the chin, her fingers making hollows in the dark woman's cheeks. "This is all I see every day. She never smiles."

Keller pulled away with a roll of her eyes. "You never give me a reason to smile, Iliana. I thought I told you to stay away from the windows."

Iliana grimaced faintly. "Caught that, did you?" she sighed.

"Anyway," Galen cut in, "Let's get Chime and Thea settled and then we'll fight. Sound good?" he didn't bother to wait for answer. "Good. Come on, ladies. I'll take that for you." He pulled the duffel bag from Chime's shoulder in a smooth movement, throwing it over his own shoulder. "You'll meet Nissa and Winnie soon enough."

"Nissa and Winnie?" Chime asked as Galen escorted them up the staircase. Keller didn't follow, instead moving toward the rooms under the staircase. Iliana happily tagged along with them, bouncing childishly, face bright with excitement.

"Nissa and Winnie are my two other personal bodyguards. They also have keys. Only them and Keller and Galen. Not even me." Iliana pouted.

Galen threw her a grin over his shoulder as he took the right-hand staircase. "Iliana can't be trusted." He explained to Chime and Thea in a low, secretive voice. "If she had a key she would only need one more person with a key to get out. And she'd go right after Winnie. Winnie's the softest of our group." He playfully smirked at the Witch Child. "And Illie knows it only too well."

"See what I put up with?" Iliana asked Chime and Thea, motioning to Galen. "I am the Legendary Witch Child and who do I have watching me? Him!" she said, feigning disgust.

"Yes, only the Prince of Shape-Shifters." Chime nodded in agreement.

Galen came to a dead stop and looked at her. "Hey. How did you know that?" he asked her curiously.

Chime shrugged. "You fit the description of the prince and your name is Galen. You're also a NightWorlder by the way you move. I sense an animal form from you. Leopard. And there were rumors that the Prince had helped find the Witch Child so I thought, _'Why leave her after everything he's helped her do?'" Chime shrugged again. "It all seemed to fit."_

Galen was nodding and he arched an eyebrow. "Either way, you're correct. Although I rarely see myself as prince these days. Now it's all baby-sitting Iliana…" he cast a quick glance at Iliana and playfully ducked as she swatted at him. "Anyway, before our Witch Child resorts to name-calling, here are your rooms." He motioned as he paused halfway down a dark hallway. "For now you guys should get some sleep, rest up. And later we'll come get you so that you can meet Winnie and Nissa. And…" he hesitated, "we'll talk."

Thea glanced at Chime and nodded. "Sounds great, thanks."

"No problem." Galen opened one of the doors he had motioned to and placed the duffel bag just inside. "We'll see you later. And you, young lady," he said, turning on Iliana, "You'll be coming with me."

Iliana blanched. "Oh, no, Galen." She said, looking flustered. "It isn't necessary. Really it isn't. I can find my way around perfectly well-"

"Come here." He stressed.

Iliana turned and fled with a small shriek, blond hair floating after her nimble frame.

Chime arched an eyebrow, biting down a grin.

Galen smiled at them. "See you two. I got me a Witch Child to hunt down." And with a wink he turned to follow Iliana, whose laughs echoed in the mansion hallways.

Thea giggled, looking at Chime. "Ok, I feel beat. How about we set up our alarms for two hours from now and meet up again and hang before they come for us?" she suggested, glancing at her watch but frowning when it didn't match the time on the clock hanging on the wall.

Chime nodded. "Sounds good. Maybe I'll dream about Rayne." She shrugged. "Kills time."

"Hey! Don't you dare dream about him without me!" Thea called after her as she ducked into her new room.

Chime stuck her tongue out at her. "You have your own soulmate!" Then she closed the door on Thea and looked at the bed with a small smile. She was definitely going to dream about him.

_The Past:___

_Selena crouched by the stream of raging water, washing the dirt from several vegetables. Her hands were cold from the water, her lap drenched as she laid the plants across her knees. The sky overhead was clear but it was a bit cool. She squinted toward the sun, forgetting the vegetables for a moment. It was going to be a beautiful day. Already the morning was looking cheerful. The animals were awakening, the birds chirping musically. It was the time for love, new and old. And where was she? She was washing vegetables because she required sustenance. She sighed dramatically and looked back down at her lap.___

_The presence of someone next to her, picked up be her peripheral vision, made her cry out in surprise and she flinched away, dropping a vegetable into the stream.___

_Rayne reached down in one fluid movement, scooping up the vegetable in mid-air and holding it toward her, his other arm resting across his knee. His smile was quirky, an arrogant twist to the corners.___

_Selena threw him a look and snatched the vegetable from his hand with a roll of her eyes. "It's you, again." She said wearily, leaning forward to wash the vegetable once more. It had been in contact with his hands and who knew where his hands had been.___

_"Yes. Me, again." He said with a nod and a sigh. He lifted his head toward the sun and closed his eyes, bathing in the warm rays. "It's a lovely day."___

_Selena smirked. "Yes, it was. Then you showed up." She said sardonically, scrubbing at flecks of dirt across the smooth surface of the food. She laid it aside into a basket beside her and pulled forth several dark berries, lowering her hands into the cold water once more.___

_"Is that sarcasm I detect in your beautiful voice?" he asked her with a tilt of his head and his amber eyes were narrowed devilishly. He lowered his gaze toward her hands and watched her as she rinsed the berries expertly.___

_"Sarcasm?" Selena echoed with a troubled frown, the berries blurring before her. She had to keep her attention on the berries. Sustenance, she reminded herself. "No, of course not. You know what it is?" she paused, looking up at him against her will and she nodded when she saw she held his attention. "It's regret."___

_"Regret?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.___

_"Regret." Selena nodded again. And then she glared at him, "Regret that I am still sitting here talking to you when I could be on my way home."___

_Rayne chuckled, bowing his head and shaking it. He seemed sweetly handsome when he smiled like that, she realized. He had smiled around her probably more than he had ever smiled in his entire life and yet all she had done to provoke the smile was insult him. She almost felt sorry but he was speaking again.___

_"You really hate me, don't you." He said and it was a statement. There was no question about it. He turned his head to look at her again, clearly interested in her response.___

_Selena threw him an innocent look. "Gee, you think?" she asked. Then she tossed the berries into the basket and rose, lifting the basket into her arms. Rayne stood with her, towering over her as he straightened to his full height. And there was a bit of impatience forming on his face.___

_She stared up at him, eyebrows lifted close to her hairline. "Was there something you wanted, Endymion?" she asked politely from her small spot in his shadow, "because I really must be going now-"___

_"A chance perhaps…Chimes." He said, biting out her name. ___

_"Chime." She corrected him. When he frowned at her she explained wearily, "Everyone calls me Chime." Not that she wanted him to know that but she didn't see a reason why not to tell him.___

_He pulled back a bit, cautious. "Chime." He said slowly, as if testing the name, trying it on. And he shrugged, not giving a damn one way or the other, it seemed. "Whatever. Selena sounds nicer, more feminine…"___

_"How lovely for me." Selena said through gritting teeth. And she wound around him, heading toward the village.___

_His hand lifted and wrapped around her elbow. Lucky for her it was clothed. She looked at him as he turned her around slowly to face him. There was something in his expression, like he was impatient but sympathetic as well. The early trace of arrogance was lost from his face and that was always a good thing. "Can we just talk for a second?" he asked her.___

_Selena frowned faintly as he pulled her closer to him. She felt so small around him and the fact that she was one of the tallest women in the Witch Village did nothing to help her. She stared up at him, gazing straight into his eyes and they were so thick, the amber. They drowned out everything else in her line of vision, even reaching toward the peripheral.___

_"We were talking." She said quietly, swallowing. She looked around in a quick glance, looking for a distraction from him, anything to take her attention away. But there was nothing, except the stream and she would much rather drown in his eyes than in that icy water.___

_He stared down at her and nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I know." He said in a low voice. "But not here. Later. Around evening. Meet me."___

_She blinked and then began to shake her head. "No, Rayne, I don't think that's a good idea. This isn't a good idea, what we're doing here-"___

_"Just meet me," He said hoarsely, grip loosening on her elbow. "Outside the First House. Where we first met. Wait for me there and we'll talk. Just talk."___

_Selena gazed at him, knees weakening for some strange reason. She shouldn't. She shouldn't meet him. She should just tell him no thank you, wish him a happy day, a happy life on top of it, turn and walk away as quickly as possible. But her legs weren't listening to her. They stayed planted firmly in that spot and was it her or was she feeling a bit warm? She shuffled her legs a bit nervously and then he leaned toward her a bit, bringing his eyes even closer to hers. Oh, no. Not those eyes. Her lips tightened into a straight, tight line, arms curled around the basket.___

_"Meet me." He said again, softly. And his voice was low, sending delicious shivers down her spine. ___

_Finally she nodded. "All right. I will see if I can get away and we'll talk." She murmured. After a moment she stressed, "Just talk," before pulling away. He released her but there was a small smile on his face.___

_"Evening." He reminded her as she turned to walk away.___

"Evening." She murmured to herself.


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten:

The Present

Chime stared up at the ceiling. She had managed to sleep for an hour or so but after that sleep had evaded her. For the rest of the passed several hours she had laid in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking. Replaying the dream in her mind, seeing Rayne smile. She missed that smile so much. A stereo in the corner of her new room played a quiet song, classical, and she had figured that it would have knocked her right out. Nothing had worked though for she was still wide awake.

And jumpy. The young woman downstairs had the answers she longed for in the palm of her hand. She could find Rayne, maybe even wake him for her. And if she couldn't Chime would always have him close to her. Always. Just to touch him would be enough. She missed the soulmate link almost as much as she missed him. But even after hundreds upon hundreds of years, time had done little to wipe the sparks of the silver bond. She still felt it, deep inside, but she wanted to experience it, refresh her memory.

She wanted to laugh. And cry. After so many years she wanted to cry with joy. She had gone far too long without crying in sorrow.

The red bulb in the corner of her room began to blink.

She turned her head across her bent arms and stared at it blankly for a moment, visions of dreamland still swirling all around her in pastel colors and amber hues. Then the full meaning of the bulb slammed into her like a truck and she dived toward the side, landing on her arms along the floor, legs still on the bed. She scrambled to her feet frantically and staggered toward the light, wide-eyed.

It wasn't blinking. Really, it wasn't. It couldn't be. Chime shut her eyes tightly then opened them again, sure that the horrible red light would be off. But the bulb continued to blink.

They had found her. The Night World had found her and she had led them straight to one of Thierry's best kept secrets. Not only was she going to die but so was that sweet innocent child, Iliana, and the world with her at the Millennium. All because she had wanted to find her soulmate. She had endangered her friends because of her fascination with a sleeping dragon.

The bulb went off.

She blinked. And blinked again. Then she pulled her head back in confusion, staring at the bulb as if expecting it to flare up again with light. And when it didn't she said, "Huh?" and with an impatient snicker, darted toward the door and yanked it open.

Across the hallway from her Thea had obviously done the same thing, face pale. She was peeking out her door cautiously, eyes roaming the hallway.

"What the hell?" Chime demanded.

A faint cry sounded from the main floor of the mansion. Soft and weak sounding. Chime looked at Thea, a frown crossing her face and she felt herself slowly shift into a protective stance, taking a single step out of the room.

"I need some help…" a high feminine voice called and Chime floated toward the staircase, footsteps silent. A soft sound behind her was enough to let her know that Thea was following as gently as possible, careful not to make noise.

A second voice was speaking now, and her tone was calm although it sounded a bit ticked. "Oh, don't be such a baby, Winnie."

"Help. Someone help." The first voice called again, weakly.

Chime paused at the end of the hallway where the landing let out onto the staircase. Galen was coming down the opposite staircase and he smiled toward Chime and Thea teasingly. "Did the red light scare you?" he asked with a wicked grin.

Chime arched an eyebrow and peeked around the corner toward the front of the mansion, toward the entrance. Two women were there, surrounded by bags upon bags of groceries.

And the first voice, coming from the mouth of a red-curled young woman, was still calling for help. "So many bags of groceries…someone help…" she whimpered miserably, hands hanging limp at her sides in hopelessness.

Thea laughed and motioned toward the woman pleading. "That's Winnie. She's a witch. And the other girl with her is Nissa. Vampire."

Nissa, a woman with shimmering brown hair was throwing Winnie a look of exasperation. "Give me a break, Winnie." She sighed wearily and she bent over, easily lifting four of the overflowing grocery bags into her hands. Shaking her head she turned and headed off for a room toward her left.

"Oh, my poor human body…" Winnie called after her plaintively. She grinned at Galen as he met her at the door and then her blue eyes caught on Chime and she stopped dead in her games.

"Hi, Winnie!" Thea called loudly, brushing by Chime and hopping down the staircase in a flurry of blond and white.

Winnie was still gaping at Chime. "Hi…uh, Thea." She mumbled uncertainly, blinking and looking toward the blond witch. "You got here already." She said dumbly. She allowed Thea to hug her and she wrapped her arms slowly around Thea's frame.

"Yup. A few hours ago, actually." Thea said with a bouncy nod. She turned in Winnie's arms and motioned wildly. "Hey, Chime! Come here!"

Chime realized she didn't want to. Winnie had seemed like a nice person earlier, with her deep blue eyes and wild red curls hanging around her chin but once she had set here eyes on Chime the friendliness had faded away. There was nothing of the happy person left.

"Chime." Thea persisted.

Chime sighed inwardly and slowly descended, feeling her stomach tighten into a knot, tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth. This was going to prove to be quite a show.

"Winfrith Arlin," Galen was saying formally, "Meet Chime…Chime…" he paused and cocked his head at her. "Uh, Chime what?" he asked, standing beside Winnie's frozen figure.

For a second Chime seriously couldn't remember. "Devlin. Chime Devlin." She answered, coming to a stop before the group of Daybreakers. "Nice to meet you, Winnie." 

Winnie took the hand that was extended to her and shook it half-heartedly, the shock slowly slipping into suspicion. She remained wordless, pulling away after a moment.

Chime pulled back also. A witch. Winfrith Arlin was a witch. Strike One. And from what Thea had told her on the plane, a witch who had just recently battled a weakened dragon who had gone after Iliana. Strike Two. And now she was going to ask them for help?

"Foul ball?" Chime mumbled to herself thoughtfully, unaware that she had spoken aloud.

"I beg your pardon?" Winnie asked and she was no longer merely suspicious. She was reverting, face darkening.

Chime blinked. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Just…talking to…myself." She answered uncertainly, gesturing futilely.

Winnie arched an eyebrow.

A footstep scraped and Nissa was back. "Wow, Win. You're helping me so much. Thanks." She said in a wry tone, returning empty-handed. She paused as she caught sight of Chime.

"Nissa." Thea said quickly and Chime realized the blond witch was aware of the discomfort and awkwardness between herself and Winnie. "Meet Chime!" she was saying. "Chime, that's Nissa."

Nissa came forward, almost floating, and she held out a lean arm. "The dragon, right?" she asked as Chime shook her hand. And then without waiting for an answer, "Welcome aboard."

"Thanks." Chime smiled in relief, shaking the tall vampire's hand and studying her. Nissa seemed cool, collected. Chime would bet that she would keep her head in hot water. "Uh," she said, looking at the bags of groceries, "need some help?"

"Yes." Nissa nodded.

At the same time that Winnie answered, "No." loudly.

Chime hesitated, feeling awkwardness descend once more.

Nissa blinked at Winnie and then turned a forced smile on Chime. "No, I guess not." She corrected herself quietly as Winnie picked up two bags. She seemed to have quit complaining about her frail human body. Nissa picked up the remaining three bags and gazed at the red-curled witch. "Winnie. A word with you in the kitchen?" she asked cautiously.

Winnie nodded curtly. "Of course." She said smoothly.

Galen smiled at Chime and Thea as Nissa turned and began to move back toward the kitchen. "I'm going to join them. We'll see you guys later?" he asked as Winnie marched off wordlessly.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Thea said, less than excited. 

Chime looked at her, feeling sad. Then she watched as Galen went off after Winnie and Nissa. She remained gazing after them, sucking on the insides of her cheeks awkwardly. And out of the corner of her eye she noticed Thea was staring at her curiously.

"They don't want me here, Thea." She said softly. She held up a hand to silence the witch's protestations. "I'm thinking this was a bad idea anyway. We should just forget this." 

"No!" Thea said emotionally before clamping her mouth shut and merely saying, "No." firmly. "It's just that…they're nervous, Chime. Come on-" she motioned over her shoulder vaguely.

Chime shook her head. "You should just go home. I dragged you into this and it was a big mistake-"

Iliana's voice came from the staircase. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked and when they whirled there was a hurt expression on her face. There was no need for the question. The Witch Child seemed to have an idea what they had been conversing over.

Thea looked at Chime innocently.

Chime narrowed her eyes at the witch. _Oh, sure. Make me say it, she thought with a smirk. She looked back at Iliana. "Uh…we were just talking because I was…well-"_

"You were changing your mind. About asking for my help." Iliana stated, letting her sentence hang in the air.

Chime swallowed, feeling lower than dirt for some reason. "Basically…" she said, scratching the back of her neck.

Iliana came down a step. "Why?"

Thea was still looking at Chime, hands clasped before her. She arched an eyebrow and motioned, and damn it all, if the girl didn't look more like Hellewise than ever. Right down to the mischievous glint she exhibited when no one but Chime was in her presence. Chime found herself scowling at the witch before turning back to Iliana. "It's too big a thing to ask you to do." She said finally. "I mean, you're the Witch Child. The Legendary Witch Child. And look at your security-"

"It's Winnie." Iliana nodded, obviously shoving aside Chime's excuses. "Winnie is against your being here."

Chime blinked at her momentarily, stupefied and then she chuckled, bowing her head. These days she was just talking to herself. No one else seemed to pay attention to her.

Iliana plopped down on the staircase steps with a sigh and she set her elbows on her knees, dropping her head into her hands. "I knew this would happen." She said, fingers indenting her cheeks and making her look even younger than she already did. She resembled a child who had been punished and was now making up for it with boredom. "Really, I did." She groaned.

Thea moved forward, seating herself beside the Witch Child, pulling her skirt away from her legs to avoid wrinkling the smooth folds of the material. After a moment Chime floated over, awkwardly.

"It's because of Azhdeha." Iliana was saying, still murmuring almost sleepily. "But, Chime isn't like Azhdeha. I mean, you can't feel it, the anger, from her." She looked up at Chime, speaking toward Thea but Chime doubted she even remembered Thea was beside her. Her purple eyes were narrowed thoughtfully as she studied Chime in unabashed interest. "All you feel is…is…"

Thea was also gazing at Chime and Iliana's lazy bug seemed to have been transferred to the witch for she mumbled, "Longing…" wistfully.

Iliana blinked, suddenly returning to the land of the living and she nodded. "That's it. That's exactly what it is." She whispered.

Chime said nothing, merely looking at the witches peacefully.

The Witch Child shrugged, breaking out of her reverie and then getting down to business. "So, tell me then. Tell me all. And tell me what you need me to do."

Thea smiled at Chime, straightening a bit and then she looked at Iliana mischievously.

"Resting place of dragons." Iliana murmured thoughtfully. She shook her head at Chime, silver-blond hair floating around her face. "They're not all resting in one place, I can tell you that much. I spoke a bit with the Mother after the Crone died." She said, casting a quick glance at Thea as well.

Chime lifted her blue gaze toward Iliana slowly. "The Mother?" she asked slowly, face darkening.

Iliana blinked.

Thea placed a hand on Iliana's wrist. "The Mother wants Chime. She knows that she's a dragon and that she's awake." She explained quietly.

Iliana looked from Thea to Chime and her eyes were wide in disbelief. "Really?" she asked.

Chime shrugged and then nodded to her. "You were saying?" she persisted.

Iliana brought her eyebrows back down from her hairline. "Uh, yeah. The resting place. The Royal House was in what was Persia, back in the day. And I know if you search for dragons there you'll find some. But only the witches knew this information. The Night World came across it somehow and raised one of them."

"Azhdeha." Chime nodded in understanding. She paused thoughtfully. "The name is actually quite familiar." She murmured to herself, speaking aloud, "A Royal Guard perhaps." She shrugged again.

"Well, whatever the case," Iliana continued, "I know that the Witches have a list of all dragons asleep, name for name, starting with what was their current Prince." Iliana wiggled her eyebrows suddenly, looking far too mischievous for her own good. "I can find out about your soulmate, where he is. Maybe he was moved while you slept…"

"Persia." Chime whispered, breaking off. Then her eyes closed and she lifted a hand to her forehead. "I'm such a fool. No wonder none of this ever looked familiar."

Thea blinked at her in confusion. "What?"

Chime looked at her and realized that the two witches were staring at her as if she had grown another horn, this one from her forehead. "If the Royal House was in Persia, that's also where I'm from, the place I considered my home." She shook her head, "Cassandra…she must've…" she stopped and exhaled. "It never occurred to me that I was moved while I was asleep. I was always searching the area close to where I woke and it's no damn wonder I never found anything. It never occurred to me that I was really far off. It should have…"

Iliana was nodding. "I can talk to the Mother. Discreetly ask about the dragons. Ask for the scrolls to be returned so that I can look through them."

Chime remained silent, lost in thought. She chewed on her lip, staring at the floor blankly but her eyes flickered.

Thea nodded with Iliana. "Sounds good. We can find Rayne on the list, see where he's buried or hidden-"

"The Mother knows I'm here." Chime whispered faintly.

Iliana and Thea both broke off and looked at her.

Chime started up again, this time in a stronger tone. "The vampire and his companion in the airport. The Mother knows I'm here." She began to tap her knee in thought, unaware of the strange looks she was receiving. "I bet if you ask to see the scrolls she will ship them right over."

Iliana and Thea looked lost.

But Chime was growing excited. "Goddess, that's it." She murmured. "They won't get me here because attacking me while I'm here would be a direct violation of Daybreak rule. It would be an act of War to attack me in the House of the Witch Child. And they failed in the airport." She smiled, looking at Iliana and her gaze was clear. "They'll give you the scrolls if you ask for them."

"Why do you say that?" Thea asked with a frown.

But Iliana's face was registering understanding. "Once you find where Rayne lies they'll be there, beat you to the punch line. They'll probably be monitoring you and already be there when you get there." She whispered.

"Bingo." Chime sang.

Thea's face saddened as she caught on. "Oh…" she uttered and she looked at Chime. "I'm so sorry, Chime." She glanced at Iliana as the Witch Child looked at her but quickly looked back to Chime."But we have to do this. We have to!" she said adamantly, clenching tiny fists.

Chime and Iliana looked at her with arched eyebrows.

"You're more eager than I am." Chime said jokingly and she felt better when Thea smiled shyly.

"I'll ask anyway." Iliana stated. "I'll ask to see the scrolls, see what I find out. And hopefully, when you go looking for him you'll look like someone else and they won't think you're you." She shrugged. And then she frowned. "Did that make sense? That was a lot of you's. I feel dizzy…"

"We're going to do this." Thea said, still on her kick of determination. Then she nodded firmly. "After I sleep. I am beat!"

Chime laughed and realized she had to agree. "Sounds good." She said. She looked up toward the second floor landing. "Maybe I can unscrew that red bulb in my room…"


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven:

There were flashes. Too many of them, blinding her. Visions. Memories. Nightmares. They were all the same, different words for the same horror. And they made no sense in their sequence, but perfect sense in their clarity. Some were colorful, others black with tinges of gray. The black ones were the bad ones, leaving blood red after images in her mind, images that would forever be burned into her mind's eye.

And the sounds that accompanied the black images were terrible. They rose and fell, muffled and crystal clear. Futile cries and screams of pain. One insistent shriek, the cries of a young child. Why had the child been important? Why had there been a child in that battle at all? 

She heard her own voice, shouting for mercy and for help.

_"No, don't! Hellewise!"___

It was her amidst sounds of battle, sounds of struggle. She had been hoarse from screaming but she had continued, her throat tearing, because it had been for Rayne. The witches against the dragons on that fateful day, and even though she had begged him he hadn't deserted his Prince.

_"Rayne! Damn it-"___

There was the sound of cracking wood and a single flash opened a vision to her, a black memory. The door had been broken down and the witches had stormed in, like insects. Hecate had emerged from their center, royal and beautiful, power flashing from her hands as she had chanted huskily. Shooting off their bursts of power, taking down several of the dragons because of their numbers. Blood had flown, sprayed the pillars and walls. All before she could have even blinked.

Rayne's arm was around her waist, stiff, and she struggled to hold onto it, hold onto the sensation, the strength his presence gave her. She needed another moment, another second, desperately. She had clawed at him in fear, nails digging into his uniform, straight through into his arm. Hard enough to draw blood.

And there had been so many witches, all out to win that day. The blood had been everywhere, witch and dragon blood splattered across the walls, painting hideous pictures. The scene whirled, dark figures dancing to a macabre rhythm, and she felt dizzy watching it all play out.

_"Come with me!"___

Her hand clamped down on his wrist and he was frozen, staring in disbelief as three to four witches descended upon one dragon at a time, brilliant streaks of power flaring in their struggle. He had pulled away then, broken her grip to rush to the side of his Prince. All for the sake of his Prince. She had been left alone, left lacking his warmth, floating in space as ice settled in the depths of her body, freezing her as she watched the darkness envelop her.

Darkness had never been so complete, so terrible to behold.

A flash of light closed the vision to her, swallowed it into a funnel before it vanished completely and in the surrounding blackness she heard the voice of Hellewise, echoing eerily all around, sobbing.

_"Chime! Chime!" she was sobbing, her voice bouncing about around her, sweeping in close to her and then floating away for several seconds only to return. __"I'll make it right! One of these days I'll make it right! And you'll come back to me!" There was such sadness in her tone, heavy sorrow and pity and how could she have ever thought she would right such a terrible wrong? She had died before she had corrected anything. She had won the battle but in the end Maya was going to win the war._

She shook her head as she floated in her darkness. And when she heard her voice around her it was to Rayne that she spoke. She had been speaking the entire time but only when she pushed away the memory of Hellewise did her voice become understandable.

_"…your prince! But he is one man…one creature!"___

And Rayne, his usual soothing voice answering her angry cries quietly but there was an edge to his tone. A tightness in his words. _"What is your fascination with this topic? It's always the same thing!" he snapped at her, and all around the blackness made it all the more painful to hear him speak to her in anger._

_"Your allegiance to him scares me, Rayne. He is but one man and yet you would give up everything for him. Everything! Why?" she demanded and her horror pulsed in the darkness. She wanted to hear him answer her but she knew, she remembered that he hadn't said anything to that particular question._

His silence was stony.

Her voice came again, reluctantly. _"And me? Would you give me up?" she asked faintly._

The continuous silence on his part.

When her voice came for the last time it was thick with near-hysteria. _"Answer me, damn it! Would you sacrifice me to save your Prince?"___

She remembered this part as if it had been yesterday. It would never go away, she realized as she waited for him to speak. It would remain with her always, like a scar that hadn't closed over properly. 

His answer was gentle in tone but no amount of tender words or glances would ever erase the words from her mind.

_"Yes. Yes, I would."___

She curled into a ball, hovering in the cold blackness and she slowly drifted into the familiar soft darkness that was sleep.

_The Past___

_ _

_'How long have we been seeing each other? Looking for the other because the day is so much nicer with them there, close by. Does he understand what I feel for him?___

_'Do I understand what I feel for him?'___

_Selena gazed at Rayne as he spoke quietly, staring up at the cloudy sky over head. His hair was wild, wilder than usual. Did he ever fix it when he awoke in the morning or did he just begin his rounds like that? His lips were moving, that low voice carrying around them as he spoke about the day, how he could smell the rain approaching. His amber eyes were narrowed, nearly hidden by his thick lashes. They were focused on a single cloud and he was saying now how it reminded him of a rabbit. She looked up with it and realized he was right. Puffs of gray clouds formed the figure along with a separate cloud as the bushy tail. It was adorable. ___

_She looked at him again and this time he had lowered his head and was gazing right back, head tilted a bit. The corners of his lips turned up slightly. And his lips moved once more. "Did you hear a word I said?" he asked gently.___

_My heart did, she thought. My heart heard every single word you whispered, caught every single look you sent to the sky. ___

_"A bit of it." She answered quietly, smiling faintly. "I was lost for a moment toward the end. Too many thoughts…" she shrugged, shaking her head. She looked to the side, at the pillars, focusing on one to cover the embarrassment she was beginning to feel. She knew her smile was a sheepish one, as if she were shy. She was definitely feeling shy at the moment. ___

_Rayne was leaning his slender frame against one such pillar. He paused for a good long while, amber eyes caught on her.___

_She remained fixed on the interesting pillar three down from the one her soulmate leaned on. ___

_"Tell me about your thoughts." He asked softly, his voice barely carrying to her as the breeze picked up all around. ___

_Selena looked at him, a quick, sharp glance. "My thoughts?" she echoed, caught off-guard. "Oh, no. You don't want to hear my thoughts. They're much too boring, much too…" she blushed, averting her gaze. "Much too…"___

_He nodded once. "Much too private." He answered for her. His amber eyes were hooded, they were always hooded. And he seemed downright lazy with that expression. ___

_She nodded also, pursing her lips. "Yes. They're private." She said in a low tone. "That's why they're thoughts. Not meant to be uttered aloud." She hesitated, awkwardly. "If the Goddess meant for our thoughts to be read she would have made us all telepathic."___

Rayne was assessing her, studying her with a strange interest. "Has no one ever read your mind? Listened to your thoughts?" he asked her slowly. 

_She came to a dead stop, blinking at the ground. "Listened to my thoughts?" she asked faintly. "No, no one is interested in my thoughts. No one cares to read my mind. I don't matter to anyone out there except Hellewise and just barely. We're friends, very close friends but we never talk. Really…" she frowned slightly but then shrugged it off.___

_Rayne was merely looking at her in understanding. His lips were pressed together as if he were forcing himself to be nonchalant. And the next moment she realized he was doing exactly that because he looked at her warily. "I'm interested in your thoughts, Chime. I want to hear about them." He said in an even tone, eyeing her.___

_Selena swallowed convulsively, hoping she didn't choke somehow. He really didn't want to hear her thoughts. They were nothing special.___

_No, she was wrong. They were all special. Because they wereall about him. Thoughts about what he was doing when he wasn't with her. Thoughts on how he got along with the dragons he worked with. Thoughts on his past and his family.___

_Thoughts on how long it would take for him to kiss her.___

_She had finally decided she couldn't fight the soulmate bond, that she shouldn't even try. It was futile to fight something so unbelievably powerful, especially if you knew you would fail in your attempts. So she just had to accept that, accept that Rayne Endymion was the one the Goddess had set aside for her, to accompany her through all her forms on the earth. Rayne was the one she would grow with, live with and stay with.___

_She just had to make him see it, too. Because other than the initial reaction he had had to her there was no proof he was even interested in being with her. He wasn't like the other dragons who made it clear what they wanted from their mates. He was a damn enigma, one she would gladly try to figure out if she could manage to stay in his presence and not feel the urge to faint away. ___

_She looked at him, lips parting to speak. And she realized she had waited too long. He was already focused on the ground, jaw clenched. ___

_Snubbed. He thought she had snubbed him. Her eyes widened and she shook her head senselessly, taking a step forward.___

_"It's raining." He murmured and he lifted his face to the sky once more.___

_Fat drops of rainwater fell from the sky, pelting them gently. Rayne closed his eyes momentarily, the tears of the sky splashing him along the lines of his face. Selena blinked, not understanding, not knowing what to do. Was he mad? Was he hurt? How could she tell him her thoughts if she couldn't figure them out herself?___

_"Rayne-" she managed to make out.___

_He rose away from the pillar and looked toward her. The rain was not a mere drizzle. It was coming down and the more time they stared at each other, the faster and more furious the downfall became. In a matter of moments their hair was plastered to their faces, rain streaking down their faces. He undid the Royal uniform cloak from his shoulders and moved toward her, lifting his cape to cover her. She went into the circle of his arms dumbly, thinking quickly. She could fix it, she knew she could. She just had to find the right words, had to piece together at least a coherent sentence-___

_He was looking down at her. ___

_She became aware of it right then and there. Became aware that he was embracing her, holding the cloak around her to keep her from getting any wetter. She stared at the dragon emblem emblazoned across his chest, blinked to keep the brilliant colors in focus. And she heard his breathing, deep and slow. Calm.___

_She looked up into his eyes almost reluctantly, scared of what she would find in those amber irises.___

_His gaze was blank. He seemed content to stare at her from inches away. A muscle was clenching in his jaw, faintly, arms wrapped lightly around her, pressing the soft fabric of the cloak to her arms and shoulders.___

_And just when she thought maybe, just maybe, it was possible he held romantic thoughts for her he smiled mischievously, one hand releasing her shoulder to latch onto her wrist. ___

_She looked down, a frown crossing her forehead.___

_With a surprising gesture and no indication of what he had in mind he spun her around, coming up behind her, hand still grasping her wrist. She tried to look at him over her shoulder but he was letting go of her, lifting his arm over her. The cloak covered her completely as she found herself sheltered under his arm. He threw her a wicked grin, his free hand winding around her ribs to seize the same wrist he had held before.___

_"Rayne-" she tried again, realizing she was practically stuttering.___

_"Come on!" He shouted over the pounding of the torrent and the drops of rain ran down his face, falling from his square jaw. ___

_She shook her head, not comprehending him.___

_With a twist of his lips he began to pull her along, pushing her to move. She allowed him to lead her, wondering where they were going. He was pulling her out from under the marble awning of the side entrance to the First House. They nearly stumbled down the large steps, moving out fully under the shower.___

_"Where are we going?" she asked loudly, automatically winding her arm around his waist and digging further into his side.___

_"I'm taking you home. To the Witch Village." He answered over the roar of the rain. He looked toward the village which was not too far away but to Selena it was unbearably close. She didn't want to go back. She wanted to stay with him, try to make him understand what she was feeling even if she herself wasn't sure. Perhaps he could make sense of her confusion.___

_"I don't want to go home." She said to him, and she wound her other arm around him, holding him to her tightly.___

_He glanced down, a small frown crossing his face. ___

_"You wanted to know what my thoughts were, right?" she asked him, ignoring the pelting rain, ignoring the drops that rolled down her face and threatened to blind her, to blur his face from her. "You said you wanted to know what I thought about."___

_He nodded wordlessly, his arm slowly coming down to slip around her shoulder absentmindedly. He also paid the rain no mind, his attention focused on her. Only her.___

_She felt beautiful. In his eyes, as the object of his intense fascination she felt exotic, wet as she was, bedraggled as she appeared. She smiled at him, her lips turning up. "I think about a lot of things. I think about my future, where I will be fifty years from now, a hundred years from now…and…" she shook her head, feeling the need to laugh happily because she knew what she was saying now, "And… all I see is you! Yours is the face that I see everywhere, whatever I envision, you're there!"___

_His lips had parted but no word made it passed them.___

_"I keep thinking, before you Helle was all I had and now…now it's all different. Now I can't leave anymore, I can't pick up and go-"___

_"You were going to leave?" he asked in disbelief, slanted amber eyes widening.___

_She shook her head, squeezing him reassuringly. "I never felt at home anywhere. Never! All I ever did was wander. My mother died and I left this village, went away but I always came back because my roots were here. And I promised myself, when I came this last time I would make my visit short and then I would go away, I would never come back here again."___

_Rayne seemed wounded, merely staring at her.___

_"But I can't do that anymore, Rayne! I can't do it anymore!" she cried and her vision blurred. She was sure it was from the rain but for a moment she let herself believe they were tears of happiness. "I have to stay here because you're here!"___

_Rayne blinked as if he were catching on. Or recovering from his initial shock.___

_She exhaled, gazing at him. "And I also thought about you, what you thought about me. I wonder because you're too hard to read." She nodded as he opened his mouth to speak, already knowing what he was going to say, "Yes, I could've used the soulmate link but I get scared just being around you! What would a dragon, you, a royal guard, see in a half-breed?" she shook her head, "I'm nothing!"___

_He clenched his jaw, obviously ready to fight her on that.___

_She didn't let him. "So, you wanted to know." She said to him, "You wanted to know what I think about, what takes up all my thoughts and time, my dreams?" she smiled once more, serenely. "This is what I think about."___

_And she rose on tiptoe and kissed him. She kissed him with all she was, all she felt for him. And it was wonderful, the sparks of their soulmate link flaring heatedly. They seemed to mold together, two halves of one whole, melding and uniting into what felt like one single being. Because that was what they were, one whole that had been ripped apart.___

_She knew he felt the same way, felt that they had been cheated when they had been separated. But it was all over and done with because they were whole once more.___

_And all around the raindrops felt cool falling from the sky, a tinkling melody carrying around them.___

The Present:

A knock sounded at the door. 

Thea leaned back against Chime's bed as the dragon rose. She walked over to the door, throwing the witch a wry smile at her laziness and pulled the door open to see Iliana standing there. 

The Witch Child broke into a knowing smile.

Chime stepped back with a frown to allow Iliana to enter. Remaining wordless she shut the door behind the girl as she swept in and then she turned to face both witches.

Thea sat up slowly.

"Guess what came early this morning?" Iliana sang mischievously. She slipped over to the bed and plopped down beside Thea, lying back and stretching across the mattress luxuriously.

Thea's eyes flew to Chime.

Chime nodded in understanding, stepping closer to the witches. "The dragon scrolls." She stated, crossing her arms over her chest. She smirked, shaking her head. "Overnight Delivery. I can't say I'm surprised."

Iliana lifted her gaze to the dragon, looking innocent. "Night World UPS." She murmured. "Arrived four a.m. this morning."

Chime clenched her jaw. "Where are the scrolls now?"

Iliana hesitated, looking away. "Winnie has them. She's been studying them, all morning in her room."

Chime leaned forward slowly, looking the Witch Child dead in her eyes. "Winnie?" she demanded distinctly. Her eyes closed when Iliana didn't answer her and she ran a weary hand over her face. "Great."

"It's not so bad." Iliana said soothingly. "Really, it isn't. Besides, she says she wants to see you, talk over your problem." She shrugged. "She wants to help."

Thea's expression was the same as Iliana's. She was practically begging Chime to trust Winnie.

"Oh, spare me." Chime sighed. "All right. All right. Let's go and have the chat with her." She turned in defeat but whirled back on them suddenly. "Do not expect me to be happy about this."

Winnie looked up the moment the two witches and the dragon entered the small kitchen. Her blue eyes caught on Chime and she stared at her thoughtfully. Standing beside her, away from Chime, was Keller, jaw clenched, arms crossed over her chest. Galen was leaning his entire weight upon the table Winnie sat at, seeming exhausted. He looked up as Chime entered and then moved away, standing beside Keller quietly. 

Chime glanced over her shoulder as she entered, just in time to see Nissa enter the kitchen and stand before the exit, blocking it.

Chime surveyed the situation. There were two exits, one being blocked by Nissa, the other on the opposite side of the room, behind Keller and Galen, several feet away.

Winnie gathered up the scrolls, laminated papers lying across the table, and Chime happened to see several computer printouts. She raised her blue eyes to the witch as Winnie collected all the papers into a bundle and stepped away from the table, practically floating.

"Sit down, Chime." Winnie offered, and animosity gleamed in her eyes. "Selena."

Chime felt a cold shiver. She didn't remember telling them her real name. Had Thierry? Or Thea, even? She shook her head though, arching an eyebrow. "No, thank you. I'd rather stand." She said politely, but she did wind around the table, placing it between herself and the red-curled witch. "What's this about?"

Winnie smiled, clutching the scrolls carefully to her chest. She pulled forth a manila folder of computer printouts and from that folder she pulled out several papers clipped together. "These," she began, "are the names of the dragons put to sleep, the ones of the Royal House and the several villages surrounding it. All listed alphabetically by first name. Only because several of the dragons' last names were unknown."

Chime nodded. "Fascinating."

Winnie smiled again and there was no humor there. "Yes, it is." She agreed. "Not only does it have names but a bit of lineage, too. You're not listed here as asleep. But you are listed."

Chime frowned slightly and became aware of just how still the Witch Child's bodyguards were standing. This was where it was all going to start making sense.

Winnie pulled forth another packet, juggling the papers to her chest. "This is the spell that put the dragons to sleep. In common tongue." She smiled once more. "For me to understand."

Chime's eyes flew to the sheets before returning to the witch's face. Thea was rigid to the side, Iliana confused. And the others were stony-faced, even sweet Galen.

_Trap.___

"There are a lot of other goodies," Winnie continued, rambling on, eyes still caught on the sheet with the old spell, "like the actual resting place of your…dragon." She stated and she lifted her blue eyes once more, smirking.

Chime inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm herself.

"But you won't be getting it." Winnie shrugged apologetically, sifting through the papers again. "Nor the spell to awaken him."

"Winnie-" Iliana whispered.

"Would you like to know the name of your father?" Winnie asked quietly. "It's all here." She waved the first packet again before tossing it to the table top. "Selena Chimes, daughter of Salma…"

Chime looked down at the papers slowly.

"And Azhdeha." Winnie finished coldly.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve:

Chime was stiff. Stunned. Daughter of Azhdeha. To the side she felt Thea's disbelief. And Iliana's. And her own was at the surface, showing up on her face. It had to be. Azhdeha was the one who had terrorized them, the same one who had nearly done them all in. He couldn't be her father, it wasn't possible. It just wasn't. 

She began to shake her head, a senseless gesture only because she didn't know what else to do. She felt the heat of everyone's gaze on her face, felt as if they were looking right through her and into her, looking for the truth in her genes. And she couldn't say anything. The words running through her mind weren't becoming coherent sentences, all flooding her thoughts like thousands of jigsaw pieces. None of them in order, none of them in place. Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton, and trying to speak around it would have been futile anyway. So she settled on staring at Winnie dumbly.

Then she forced herself to lower her eyes to the papers that had been scattered across the table. There were so many, she had to blink to clear her vision. With trembling fingers she began to lift one here and there, moving several aside to inspect them all. She paused only when she found a paper with names circled in dark red marker.

Salma Chimes. Tiger shape-shifter. Mother.

Azhdeha. Dragon. Father.

Selena Chimes. Half-breed: Dragon, tiger shape-shifter. Daughter.

Chime remembered to breathe. And when she did she realized she need every single breath desperately, realized she had not been breathing for almost a minute. Her shoulders heaved, the air rasping inside her dry throat and she raised her eyes slowly toward Thea and Iliana.

They stared back at her, hurt expressions on their faces. And she felt so sorry for them. Sorry for herself because this had knocked the wind out of her. She would not have seen this coming, not from a mile away and she usually knew to look out for things like these. She heard Rayne's voice in her head suddenly, gentle and cautious.

"_I know who your father is…I've worked with him before…"___

_Why hadn't he ever told her about him? Why hadn't she ever asked? But she knew why. She hadn't wanted to know a thing about him because he had abandoned her mother, had looked the other way when it had come to his daughter. He didn't have a place in their family and the fact that he had done those deeds to the Witch Child was just one more reason for Chime to hate him. She tilted her head, lips parting slowly._

"I…I know how this must seem…" she whispered faintly, gazing at Thea. She needed her to know, to understand that she hadn't been aware of it. "I do…but I didn't know…I didn't know that he…that he…"

Iliana was shaking her head, and it seemed as if she were on the verge of tears. "His name was familiar…" she uttered breathlessly, eyes wide, "You actually said it-"

"I didn't know!" Chime burst out, and her hand swept at the table, sending the packet of papers flying across the floor.Iliana recoiled reflexively, drawing back. Chime lifted her eyes away from the evidence at Keller's feet and she stared at Iliana. She felt, deep inside, whatever bonds they might have been forming were being severed the more seconds passed. She shook her head, trying to piece her sentences together, to make some kind of sense. "Iliana…I didn't know…Thea-"

Thea merely stared, stunned into silence.

Chime took a step forward, toward the witch. "Thea-"

Winnie stepped away from the table, placing herself in front of Iliana and Thea. She shoved the papers into Nissa who had also come forward but the witch stayed with one paper, clutching it tightly, face stony. Chime stepped back again, feeling closed in. Trapped from all sides. They had all known, Winnie had shared the information with them and they had planned it.

Keller and Galen advanced, both separating from each other slowly and circling the table from opposite sides. Chime looked at the both of them, quick glances to survey her suddenly desperate situation.

And she became aware that Winnie was speaking. "You could've gotten so far…" she was saying. "Iliana was always nearby. You had the chance to kill her-"

Chime exploded furiously on her, her anger breaking out. "I didn't want to kill her!" she yelled furiously. "I wanted to find my soulmate, it's all I wanted!" she looked toward the door Nissa had been blocking but that was now blocked by Nissa, Winnie, Thea and Iliana. She was definitely not getting out the way.

Because she had finally realized she had to get out. Her welcome was worn out and now it was time for her to get going before they decided to hand her over to be killed. Or before they killed her themselves.

She looked toward the second exit, passed the table before her and such a long way off ahead.

"We're just going to bring you to the Mother of Witches. She wants to have a word with you, strike a deal-" Keller said calmly, hands held up as a sign of peace.

Chime stared at her in disbelief. She was sure the ludicrous expression on her face was almost comical but there was not a damn single thing funny about the situation. "Are you crazy!?" she shouted loudly.

"Don't fight us, Chime." Galen said and he was pleading with her. "It'll be all right, we'll help you-"

Chime shook her head, a hysterical smile curling her lips. "Hell, no." she stated flatly. She backed up a step and the shape-shifters stiffened, pausing as they moved in on her. "You both better stay the hell away from me-"

"Stop, you guys-" Thea cried, suddenly coming to life. She tried to step around Winnie but the red-haired witch held her back. "Don't-"

"You're not taking me to her." Chime said and her voice was soft. Firm. "I will kill myself before you hand me over and let someone else handle the job." And to illustrate her point she lifted her fists toward her chest, shoulders hunching.

Black smoke began to rise from her hands, streaming into the air in wispy puffs.

Iliana made a small noise and Chime didn't need to see the Witch Child's face to know the effect her black energy was having on the girl. On all of them. They were all staring at the energy warily and fear glimmered in the depths of their eyes. She knew what they saw. They saw Azhdeha in her and they saw their memories of the day they had almost perished before him.

Winnie looked down at the paper she clutched. "Divine Goddess of Nature, Mother of the Elements-" she whispered, reading from the sheet.

Chime looked at her, eyes widening and she felt as if she were suddenly thrust back into the Royal House, watching as the Regal Hecate had waltzed in, murmuring her spell in the Old Language. "Divine Goddess of Nature, Mother of the-" she shook her head wordlessly, plain, inexplicable fear gripping her with icy fingers. She didn't want to be back there, didn't want to relive it-

"Whose love for all is challenged-"

"-and opposed…" Chime whispered with Winnie and she backed away another step, chest beginning to heave again from lack of air.

"Winnie, stop!" Thea shouted and she reached out, grabbing at the red-haired witch frantically, "Winnie!"

Winnie continued murmuring her spell under her breath, right under Thea's voice.

Chime had to get out of there. With or without those scrolls, whatever the case she had to get out. She narrowed her eyes at Winnie, at the paper in her hand and her arm suddenly lashed out, finger pointing. A short explosion of black from her fingertip turned into a bolt.

Winnie gasped as the top of her paper burst into black flames, crackling quietly before her. She lowered it against her thigh and beat at it, spell momentarily halted.

And out of the corner of her eyes Chime saw Keller and Galen dive.

She couldn't hurt them. The thought came unbidden and she reflexively shifted into defense. Even though they wanted her, they didn't want to hurt her. They merely wanted to restrain her.

And she still had to get out.

All the thoughts flew through her head in a matter of seconds, less, all screaming at her as she watched Keller and Galen coming down on her. And her body was already reacting without her commanding it to do so. She pushed her legs out from under her frame, dropping herself onto her side in a forward slide.

Keller and Galen missed her completely and when they turned to correct themselves Chime was already up and moving. She didn't spare the glance to see how much time she had. She pushed her body back up to balance on her two feet once more and with a stunted breath she threw herself forward toward the table.

"Chime!" she vaguely heard Thea scream over Winnie's murmuring.

A hand swiped at her from behind, she felt the air as it missed her neck. She flipped, rolling across the face of the table, landing on her feet on the other side of it. Her momentum continued to push her and she rolled again, across the floor, heading for the door in the back of the room.

And then Winnie raised her voice, shouting loud and clear, "-to end in sleep eternal!" and her voice was raw with her power.

A sudden weakening in her knees brought Chime to the floor roughly. A surprised gasp broke from her lips as she sprawled along her chest and stomach, her chin smashing into the floor. Stars burst before her eyes, their spinning dance nauseating her. And she felt the strong urge to vomit.

"Chime!" Thea continued to shout frantically. Then, to Winnie, "What did you do? What did you do!?"

"She tried to kill me." Winnie said flatly. "I finished the spell-"

"She didn't try to kill you!" Iliana cut in furiously. "She tried to stop you from casting the spell! If she had wanted us dead she would have accomplished it by now-"

"Enough!" Keller ordered, her voice close but not in striking distance. "We have to get her to the Mother-"

Chime lifted herself slowly, arms straining under her weight. She felt nauseous, bile rising and choking her throat. And a headache was forming, along her temple. She was weak, she realized. Unnaturally weak and it had to do with that damn spell. But she couldn't understand why she wasn't asleep. Had the witch cast it wrong? No, she remembered the words as if Hecate had marched in and spit them in her face. The spell was right. Perhaps Hellewise's spell to protect her still held after all those years.

Or perhaps the spell only worked on full-blooded dragons.

She felt her stomach grow cold. Were her dragon abilities dormant?

Footsteps were drawing closer. And there was a confused murmur from Winnie. "Is she asleep? Did I cast it wrong?" and there was the sound of papers rustling as she went through the sheets Chime had thrown to the floor.

Chime bowed her head, closing her eyes against her dizziness. With a deep breath she reached inside, all the way to the pit of her stomach. And she pulled.

Deep, deep inside her body she felt a yank, felt herself pull at her black energy. But something was pulling back just as strongly, not allowing her to access it. She clenched her eyes shut tightly, teeth biting down on the insides of her cheeks and she pulled again, one rough, terrible yank that felt as if she were pulling her skeleton out through her mouth.

"Galen," Keller was saying, "go around to the other side of her-"

The black power gave, releasing into her blood. She growled quietly, pulling her energy toward her skin, hampering it as she gathered all she had of it and then she allowed the energy to seep from her body like smoke, the fog filling the room. She pulled more out, demanding her body to release it and it surfaced, spilling out, and with the fog came forks of black electricity, sparking around her weak frame. She realized her dragon abilities weren't asleep. They were muffled, as if an invisible barrier weren't allowing her to use it in its entirety.

She became aware of the commotion. Keller was shouting at Winnie to take Iliana, Thea and the scrolls to the sub-level basements. Galen was coughing violently, and Chime could hear Thea calling for her.

An idea came to her. She looked up slowly and became aware of the black smoke in the room. Had she done that? All of it? She shook her head. At the moment, it didn't matter. This was going to help her out. She slowly staggered to her feet, stumbling forward when her knees didn't lock and hold her. This was crazy, she had to move and get her plan into action or else there would never again be any plans. With a deep breath she turned slowly and tried to look for the way out. Where had it gone? Was it behind her or in front of her? She felt her own panic swell up. Her own power had trapped her. She squinted through the black fog, feeling as if it were going to choke her, like real smoke.

"Where is she?" someone was demanding not too far from it. Chime listened closely and heard footsteps stumbling her way. The voice had sounded like Nissa's but Nissa had barely spoken to her in the entire time she had been in the sanctuary. 

She was about to make her way in the opposite direction from Nissa's voice when a hand came out of the fog and tangled in her hair. The person yanked and she felt all her coordination leave her, surrendering. Her body toppled backward, into another body and then they were both toppling with surprised cries, toppling onto the floor.

Chime rolled over weakly, looking at the body under her from her peripheral vision. Nissa's face came into view momentarily. Then the fog blocked it and Chime lifted a hand slowly, clamping down on Nissa's forehead. The vampire struggled under her, maintaining the firm grip on her hair and trying to push away Chime's hand from her head at the same time. Chime shoved her weight down on the vampire, holding her head to the ground.

"Forgive me," She whispered. And then she gritted her teeth, summoning a short black burst from her palm. The energy struck the vampire dead on and Nissa's head cracked into the hard floor loudly. Finally she was limp, falling flat to the floor under Chime.

"Nissa! Did you find her?" Keller was shouting from the fog, "We can't find her!"

Chime inhaled deeply, muscles quivering. She should get out of there, now that there was one less person after her hide, she should just run and never look back. Do what Thierry had told her to do all those years ago. This time she would do it right, vanish forever, separate herself from the Night World and just roam. This was her chance.

_Endymion.___

His name came to her mind. It always came to her mind, at the worst times. This was a record breaker of worst times. But it made her stop and think. She needed a moment to recover her strength as it was. She looked toward the side, where she thought Keller and Galen might be. They were too much for her, especially with this newfound weakness. She couldn't take them all on alone.

But she had to get those scrolls. This was the closest she would ever come to finding Rayne, the only chance she would probably ever had. And perhaps the last chance if the world was going to end at the Millennium. She had to do it, not just for herself. But for him. He had never deserved his punishment. And she was going to be the one to end it. No matter what happened to her.

She looked back down at Nissa's unconscious form under her. And she memorized the details, the ones before her and the ones she had acquired from meeting the vampire. She needed everything about her in order to become her. Because she was going to be her ticket out of there in one piece. She gathered the characteristics into one picture in her mind, molding it into the recognizable face.

The she bowed her head and forced herself to become her. She tried to urge her body and face to morph, to ripple and shift. And it was painful. One thing shifting had never been was painful. Her body didn't want to handle it, didn't want to go through the strain. And it fought her every step of the way. But she pushed at it, not wanting to stop now that she had begun.

It was slow going. She blinked, starting with her eyes. It took her several seconds to match the color of Nissa's eyes in her mind. But once she had the color perfectly she tried to apply it to her own eyes. And then she had to try to make it stay. It stubbornly continued to melt back into her original blue. She blinked once more, becoming impatient and as if afraid to displease her it settled, dilating at her command.

Her hair would be trickier.

"Nissa!" Galen was calling through the clouds of blackness, Keller with him. "Damn it! I don't see a thing!"

Chime staggered back to her feet, shaking her head roughly. _Ok, I shouldn't do that, she thought as nausea swelled up once more like a tidal wave, waiting to consume her. But it was the only way she knew to start the shift in her hair. A sure shake of her hair would force it to begin to shift. She just had to make sure she didn't start throwing up in a corner and give herself away. She inhaled deeply and then shook her head once more, nearly snapping her neck. Even as bile began to rise her hair began to darken to resemble Nissa's silvery mink hair._

She was getting far too dizzy. The room was spinning and she was in danger of toppling down right beside Nissa. With a muffled moan she clamped a hand over her mouth and swallowed down the bile. It burned her throat on its way back down and she knew this moment would make her cringe when she looked back on it. If she ever looked back on it. Sure that the bile was far enough back down her throat she hunched over and lowered her arms, wrapping them under Nissa's own arms. Even bent over she knew this would be difficult. She was breathing hard just standing there. She straightened up in one swift gesture nearly throwing out her back and Nissa fell against her, a dead weight.

And she looked so thin, too.

Chime looked about and then chuckled to herself. She needed a closet but what was the point of looking for one if black mist was blocking everything from sight? But she knew there had been a closet, a broom closet perhaps, close to the back doorway. She had to drop Nissa's body off somewhere, hide it until she was out of the way. But she didn't want to trap it. She began to drag the vampire, body trembling with exertion. This would have been so much easier if she had been at full strength, she mused. But she wasn't and the cloud had also drained her. She staggered along, hoping to find something, anything that would help her. 

She rammed into a wall and fell away with a yelp.

"Nissa? Is that you?" Keller called instantly. Then Chime heard their footsteps heading her way. Her pulse picked up, as loud as a machine gun going off in her ears and she searched the wall frantically, patting along as she dragged Nissa one-handed.

A knob met her fingers. And with a nearly audible frightened whimper she pulled the door open and flung the unconscious vampire into the darkness. 

She had almost shut the door when her eyes landed on the broom to the side of Nissa's limp frame. A nice broom handle made of wood.

She looked at Nissa's crumpled form. And she felt a sickening feeling well up. She had to admit, it would be more convincing. And if she could pull it off it would leave her with two less shape-shifters to fend off.

"Nissa!"

Chime reached in and grabbed the broom stick, slamming the door on Nissa. She pulled away, huffing and looked down at the wood stick. Frantically she reached up to her hair, running a hand over it. It didn't feel like her hair. And the bangs swinging before her face were not blond. Which meant it had stayed. Finally. She looked over her shoulder into the fog and thought, fighting the urge to start jumping up and down in panic. She had to focus on her body and voice now to complete the shift perfectly. Her body was pretty much the same as Nissa's, lean, but Nissa was an inch or two taller. Would they notice? She doubted it.

She tried to remember what Nissa sounded like and felt all the more panic when she couldn't. Had the vampire ever spoken even two words in her presence?

_"The dragon, right? Welcome aboard." Nissa's voice came to her hazily, almost like a dream. Or perhaps a vision sent by the Goddess._

"Yes!" Chime whispered feeling unconditional joy and relief. She focused herself on the voice and the change, making her tone lower. Softer. Nissa had not been loud. She had been cool. Serene. Controlled. Everything Chime wished she were feeling at the moment. Her soft whispers came out sounding metallic as she began the shift, all the previous tones and voices she had used blending together into one distinct blend that was Nissa. And she knew she had the voice down. The next time she needed it, it would come easier.

She lifted the broom handle and looked at it. She lifted it before her, grasping it with both hands and she tried to bend it, or at the very least warp it. And nothing. She couldn't break it. She looked over her shoulder and the fog was beginning to lighten, clearing a bit. Any second Keller and Galen would find her.

She looked at the wall, hesitating. Then she shifted her grip to the base of the broom handle. It was light and she only hoped it would break. Or splinter enough for her to break it on her own. She tightened her muscles, realizing she couldn't make a proper fist. And with a grimace she swung the broom at the wall.

The sound was loud, bringing every other noise in the room to a stop. And the impact sent tremors through the wood into her body, jarring her. But the stick broke, the top half flying into the dissipating fog. She looked at the remains of the jagged piece she held, her arms tingling, and then over her shoulder at the figures that were almost visible through her black fog. Clasping the wood to her side she darted away, breaking out suddenly through the back door into another room. 

She heard Keller call for Nissa again.

She looked down at the wooden piece slowly. And she almost lost her nerve. Almost. She winced, looking back the way she had come. She didn't want to do it. Maybe she should just go back and surrender. They would go easy on her.

And then Rayne's face flashed in her mind, once more unbidden, and she resolved to carry it through. She closed her eyes, turned the wooden piece on herself and counted to three. One. Two. Three.

With a clenching of her jaw she drove the piece inside her, wedging it into her side. Pain instantly raced up her ribs, blossoming outward across her torso. She stumbled back against the wall, alongside the doorway and tried to catch her breath for a moment. But the agony was forcing her muscles to tighten, didn't allow her to take a solid breath. Nothing but shallow gasps. She realized through a haze that the point of the wood had slid along her ribs, grazing her skin enough to open a gash. She yanked away the piece, opening her eyes to look at it and her blood shone its length, seeping into the wood and painting it a horrible red.

She threw the piece aside weakly, and watched it scatter across the clean hard floors, leaving a trail of red fluid in its wake.

"Nissa!"

Chime looked toward the doorway, merely stared at the fog billowing out serenely. And with a sigh she called out, "Here, Keller! Out here." She didn't have to fake her weakness. She was weaker now than before.

Not for the first time did she wonder if she had made a horrible mistake.

Keller suddenly burst out of the room and skid to a stop as she saw Chime hunched against the wall, clutching her side. The shape-shifter's eyes widened and she took a step toward her in disbelief. "She did that? Are you all right?"

Chime shook her minx-colored head of hair. "It was wood." She murmured and she motioned toward the wooden broom handle. "I think I have splinters-"

Galen came out of the light fog, Winnie behind him. Chime looked at Winnie and quickly averted her gaze, feeling the witch could somehow see right through her to the dragon below.

Keller turned on the witch, snapping. "Winnie! I told you to take Iliana and Thea-"

"I couldn't find my way out. That fog is horrible." Winnie cut in, juggling her papers and trying to slip them back into a case of sorts. Chime stared at the box and realized it was the box the scrolls had come in. She recognized the symbols and writing on its surfaces.

Keller nodded, as if she didn't want to hear it. "Ok, fine." And she turned to Chime. "Which way did she go, did you see?"

Chime blinked at her with her brown eyes. Then she pointed out the other exit of the room, a doorway on the opposite wall.

Keller glanced over and nodded. "All right. Winnie, give the scrolls to Nissa. I need your magic. Nissa," Keller's gray eyes looked down at her, "take the scrolls, take Iliana and Thea, and get to the basements. Do not move from there!"

Chime nodded as Winnie gave her the box gently. She grimaced, feeling a bit wary as Thea came up around the other side of her to lend a supporting arm.

"Be careful." Galen said quietly. The Keller was motioning for him and Winnie to continue on to the other doorway as Keller herself ducked back into the fog-filled room.

Iliana was looking at Chime. "Are you sure you're ok, Nissa? I'll take the scrolls-"

Chime shoved Thea away with her free hand, sending the girl into Iliana. "I trusted you." She said flatly, eyes glittering harshly. "From the beginning, I trusted you." She laughed miserably, feeling her face convulse. She wanted to cry again. She hadn't felt the need to cry so frequently since she had been living in the past. She shook her head, composing herself but she allowed Nissa's voice to melt away. "What was I expecting from witches?"

Iliana blinked dumbly, cradling Thea against her.

Chime hesitated, gazing at the witch. And she saw Hellewise, once more, all over again. She reached a hand out, almost touching Thea's face. "Hellewise." She whispered. "Why did I ever believe you would put friendship before duty?"

Thea inhaled shallowly. "Chime?"

Chime swung away and focused on one of the windows visible through her black fog. Her hand lifted of its own accord, she no longer knew what she did, and the energy burst she let loose was painful, debilitating. But the pane cracked and then exploded, glass shards raining out.

The red bulb in the corner of the room began to blink.

Iliana's eyes flew to it as Thea took a step, reaching out. "Chime!"

She looked at her. "I couldn't have hurt you." She said sadly. And then she whirled, clutching the box of scrolls in her hand. The clear air coming in helped revive her and she darted toward the window, shifting the box to her wounded side. She jumped, bringing her knees up and she sailed through the window, vanishing into the blinding sunlight.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen:

_The Past___

_ _

_"What is going on here?"___

_The voice was quiet with an edge to it. Firm. And it originated from the back of the room.___

_Rayne whirled, taking Selena with him and she saw. She finally saw. Saw the one whom Rayne would protect to his dying breath.___

_The Prince of Dragons appeared to be young. Young but older than Selena. Perhaps older than Rayne. His hair was black, like Rayne's, and his eyes were also black, shining quizzically. It was eerie, his gaze. As he came further into the hallway from the room in back the dragons came forward to crowd around him.___

_"My Lord, the witches-" one began.___

_"They come." Another said simply.___

_Selena stared at the dragon prince from Rayne's side, watched him as he stared from one dragon guard to another. And then he seemed to sense Selena's presence for he looked toward her. Selena burrowed further against Rayne, suddenly very afraid. Had Rayne ever told him the things she had thought of him? Did he know how much she blamed him for? What she held him accountable for? Rayne's arm was strong against her, if nothing else a bit comforting.___

_"Rayne." The prince said, summoning him. "Bring her."___

_She looked up at Rayne, wanting to say no. 'Please, no, don't make me go over there, I'm scared, don't make me go over there…' she said in her mind, wishing he could hear, only him.___

_But Rayne was pulling her, reassuring her gently with his amber eyes. And then the crowd of dragon guards were parting, allowing her to pass. She looked at them as she moved, felt their eyes on her. And when she looked up the Prince was before her, gazing down at her blankly.___

_Rayne stopped before the Prince.___

_Selena felt cold.___

_"Are you the one who has brought the news?" The Prince asked quietly.___

_Selena swallowed, trying to hold his gaze. "I am," She answered. And she realized she was receiving strange feelings from him. He wasn't looking down at her in disgust, the way most dragons and witches did. There was no malice in him that she could sense.___

_"Tell me." The Prince commanded. ___

_And she wasn't afraid of him. Rayne's arm tightened once more around her and she felt the strength to speak. "The Witch Mother, of the small village not too far from here-" ___

_"Hecate." The Prince nodded. "Witch Queen. I know who you speak of."___

_Selena blinked. "Yes. The Witch Queen." She echoed dumbly before shaking her head. "She comes. Armed with a spell to put the dragons to sleep. She wants to end it all. They're almost here."___

_The Prince was staring at her wordlessly. Then his gaze traveled toward Rayne and as if finally seeing his personal guardian he began to give orders. "We have to be ready for it. Rayne, take your soulmate and-"___

_A small voice rang out, cheerfully young in the Hall of the First House. "Brother!"___

_The Prince whirled as a side door opened and a small child came out, hesitating curiously when all eyes came to rest on her. A woman appeared behind the little girl, looking flustered. "I apologize, my Lord. The Princess-"___

_The little girl ran forward, small nimble body slipping around dragon guards and springing toward the Prince. He caught her in mid-leap, lifting her into his arms and cradling her tenderly to him. Selena stared at the little girl, stunned into silence. A princess. There had never been mention of a princess. Before the king had passed there had been mention of a younger brother to the prince but never a sister. She gazed at the child, her eyes running over the black hair that was so much like the Prince's and yet it was streaked through with blue, shimmering strands of cobalt blue. And the eyes were just as blue and wide, childishly innocent.___

_"Dayra." The Prince was saying sternly. "I have told you many times-"___

_The girls delicate expression of happiness slipped a bit as she wound her arms around the Prince's shoulders. "I was bored. There is nothing to do."___

_The prince nodded, laying a finger against her lips to silence her. "I know. I know." He said patiently. "But now is not a good time. I will come for you later. For now you need to go with Jana and do as she says. All right?"___

_The little girl's blue eyes widened and now the smile was gone. "You'll come visit me later?" she asked quietly. She glanced at Selena and Rayne, grip on the Prince tightening. Almost as if to declare her possession of him.___

_"Yes, I promise." The prince nodded, lifting his hand and threading his fingers through her soft blue-streaked black hair. "Later you will have me all to yourself and we'll do whatever you want to do. All right?"___

_The little girl suddenly beamed. "All right." She agreed. She allowed him to put her down but maintained a grip on his hand, her small one holding onto one of his long, slender fingers. "Remember." She said, "You promised to see me later."___

_The Prince smiled down at her. "I'll remember." He whispered to her.___

The Present:

Chime opened her eyes and blinked. The sky over head was dark and there was a soft noise to her right, the gentle lapping of water. She blinked again, moving her body a bit and soreness washed over her. The dull pain in her side and the overall weakness in her entire frame. She had been lying on something hard and it had left a mark along her arm. She looked at the object sleepily.

A box with familiar symbols on it.

She blinked once more as she realized she understood the writing on it. The box of dragon scrolls. Her mouth came open as she remembered what had transpired, the day's events. And with the memories came a sharp sense of betrayal, a sorrowful pain as she realized that once again a friend had let her down. She clenched her jaw, rising, and felt the weakness follow her. It seemed to be a part of her. She had hoped before losing consciousness along the beach that the spell would go away as she slept.

But hadn't the dragons been sleeping for thirty thousand years?

Now she would have to wander around for the rest of her life weakened. The thought made her pull up short. Oh, Goddess. Countless years hiding from the Night World, hoping to escape them with her body nearly human, her senses and black energy hampered. She saw it all as it would be, from this day forth.

And she realized she would never make it.

Those damn tears almost welled up again. She closed her eyes to blink them back. She needed someone to blame, someone to focus her anger on because she knew that saying it wasn't fair wouldn't make her feel any better or accomplish anything. But no. She wouldn't cry. She hadn't cried in sorrow since the day Rayne had been to put to sleep beside his prince. Not even after everything Hellewise had promised her. She hadn't cried, sobbed, in so long that she wondered if perhaps there was something wrong with her, if she had forgotten how to.

There was nothing wrong with her. Nothing but the fact that her damn powers were at half strength because of a damn witch and a spell that refused to stay in the past where it belonged. She felt the beginnings of her rage and she wanted to turn it on someone. Who else but the Prince? She could always blame the prince…

_"Dayra, I have told you many times-"___

Chime looked out over the water, unseeing eyes focusing on the white reflection of the moon. And her anger melted away because she remembered that on that day she had seen a different side to the prince. Had seen his first side and it had been tender, loving toward family and friends. What had happened to Dayra? She hadn't been put to sleep, she had been too young. Had she been killed after all? No, she had started the Drache line, Galen Drache was the latest of her line of dragon and shifter blood. But after that? Had she been cursed to the same eternal sleep her brother had been punished with?

He had loved her. The Prince had loved the little girl. It had been evident, obvious on his face. The way he had allowed her to maintain her grip on his finger and how he would have promised her the world for a smile. It made Chime's anger toward him lessen further.

She looked at the dragon scrolls. Soon enough, but not here. She had to stop thinking because thinking wouldn't get her out of her problem now. Now she had to move, and keep moving until she was safe, far, far away. With a wince and a groan she rose to her feet, clutching the box that held the answers she needed. And she began to trudge, heading for the lights of the city.

Thea stared at the far wall of the room she was in, hands clasped in her lap. She was still in Iliana's sanctuary being held until she was questioned. Thierry had arrived an hour before and Mother Cybele would soon be arriving also. She cringed inwardly. She was going to die.

A soft knock at the door made her look up slowly. "Who is it?"

The door was pushed open and her dark cousin peeked in. "Thea? It's me." Blaise said quietly, a sad look on her face. Rarely did Blaise show emotion but Thea's sorrow seemed to be affecting everyone. Her cousin managed a sympathetic smile and held out a long, lean arm to her. "They want to talk to you downstairs."

Thea stood up in one movement, anger painting red spots in her cheeks. "Who wants to speak to me?" she demanded stonily.

Blaise's lips tightened into a line. "So far only Thierry. Mother Cybele will be here shortly. Right now Thierry wants to have a word with you."

Thea stormed toward the door, wrenching it from her cousin's grasp. "They will not have words with me." She said darkly, staring her cousin in her widening gray eyes. "I will have words with them." And then she brushed passed her cousin, marching herself toward the staircase. She didn't need Blaise to tell her where the meeting was. She already knew.

Thierry was inspecting the new window when Thea entered the kitchen. Keller was beside him, murmuring quietly but he seemed oblivious to her presence, running his fingers over the glass thoughtfully. Galen and Nissa stood to the side, quietly watching Thierry. Winnie was at the table, slouched far into her seat, a smirk on her face.

Iliana was in the corner of the room, looking lost and wounded in a chair. And Rashel and Quinn surrounded her, playing the part of bodyguards.

Thea looked about, glaring as Blaise came up behind her quietly.

Thierry seemed to sense her immediately. He turned from the window, looking down at his fingertips. "Sit down, Thea." He ordered and while the tone was soft his words were not. He expected to be obeyed and when he raised his eyes to the witch there was no doubt that he was waiting for her to do as he had asked.

Thea stared back coolly but did as she was told, sinking into a chair at the table beside Winnie. The red-curled witch glanced at her cautiously but she turned her eyes away.

Thierry came forward, dark eyes shining. She looked at him and she couldn't read anything in those black orbs, couldn't distinguish the pupils from the irises. It scared her to no end.

"Thea," he began, pausing before her, several feet away, "I have heard five different versions of what happened yesterday. Now I want to hear yours. From the beginning." He said gently.

Thea stared at him, eyes narrowed. "Now you want to hear mine." She echoed and she cocked her head at him. "And what good will that do me, Thierry?" she asked boldly, anger simmering under the surface. "I still went against the witches to help a dragon. What can I possibly tell you anyway that you don't already know?"

Thierry leaned down, placing his hands on the table top and exhaled, shoulders falling. He paused, didn't move and the tension in the room only grew. Thea wondered what he would do. Was he the type of person to become violent? She doubted it but there was much inside him that she didn't know and that she probably would never know. She stared at him, goosebumps rising on her arms.

Then, in one swift movement he grabbed the back of a table chair and spun it around, straddling it comfortably. Thea watched him wide-eyed as he rested his arms along the back of the chair and then turned those dark eyes on her. "How about you just tell me the truth?" he shrugged.

From the corner Iliana's eyes flew to Thea, fingers pressed to her small mouth.

"The truth." Thea stated. She pulled her head back a bit. "You want the truth?"

Thierry shrugged again wordlessly.

Thea smirked. "All right, then. The truth." She slapped her knees and then sprang to her feet, alarming everyone in the room except Thierry who stayed in the exact same position he had put himself in. His eyes followed her patiently as she held up her hands and began. "I came with Chime to this sanctuary because we wanted information on the resting places of the dragons." Her hand came up immediately as Winnie moved to speak, "And it was me who suggested coming to Iliana for the information. Chime would never even have been at Thierry's if Blaise and I hadn't saved her from Mother Cybele's henchmen, but that's not the point, is it?" she waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, "of course not. Moving on, Chime and I arrived and were welcomed by just about all."

Winnie exhaled loudly, a dark look crossing her face.

Thea continued, ignoring her, "Keller explained how the alarm system worked. The dragon scrolls arrived and Winnie looked them over. By the time Chime and I came down Winnie had already discovered that Azhdeha had been Chime's father, a fact Chime herself had not known. And obviously she switched to defense because everybody was moving in on her. She happened to demonstrate her power and Winnie started casting that sleep spell on her." Thea paused, frowning slightly. "I think it affected her because she seemed hurt but she wasn't put to sleep." She sighed. "She used her black power, fogged up the room and, I guess, knocked Nissa out."

"Taking her place along the way." Winnie murmured.

Thea turned a searing glare on her. "I really can't say I'm surprised she did that." She looked at Thierry again, "Keller ordered Winnie to give the scrolls to Nissa, who was actually Chime, and like a second after everyone ran off it turned out to be Chime."

Thierry was gazing at her intently. "And what did she say?"

Thea stared at him for another moment before scowling. "That she trusted me. Had trusted me." She answered and she shook her head, chuckling. Through the laughter tears began to rise and she swiped at them angrily, taking a step back and falling into her chair heavily. "Hellewise always put the sake of the witches before friendships and love." She whispered.

Winnie lunged forward, sitting up straight in her chair. "And why is that so bad? Hellewise was our savior!"

Thea's head snapped up to look at her, tears rolling down her cheeks. "And to what extent did she take her duties? Putting the dragons to sleep but keeping Selena awake. You see it as mercy, don't you?" she demanded, frame trembling, "don't you?!"

"She didn't deserve even that." Winnie said in a low voice, face dark. "They were dragons, Thea. They played with us as if we were toys. Killed our people, hunted us. Our deaths meant nothing-"

"You weren't there!" Thea shouted, voice nearly cracking. "You weren't there, Winnie! Stop acting like it was all done to you!"

Winnie recoiled, stunned into silence.

Blaise took a step forward and placed a gentle hand on her cousin's shoulder, face sorrowful.

Thea exhaled, shrinking into her chair. She lifted her hands to wipe at her cheeks, rubbing at her skin roughly. "I see both sides." She said softly. "As a direct daughter of Hellewise I understand the anger of the witches. I understand that what they lived through can not ever be made up to them." She sighed wearily, "But I also understand Chime. I lived her life with her, through her memories." She shook her head, staring at her lap, "And you were too quick to judge, Winnie. Too quick."

Keller came forward. "She was Azhdeha's daughter, Thea." She reminded the witch gently.

Thea continued to shake her head. The fight seemed to have gone out of her, leaving behind nothing but the husk of a person in its place.

Iliana lowered her hands to her lap. "She was his daughter." She said faintly.

All eyes flew to her, Thea raising her head. She stared at the Witch Child, feeling a small twinge of hope, praying that she wasn't the only one on Chime's side.

Iliana blinked slowly, eyes trained on the floor before her. "But she didn't know. Selena didn't know she was Azhdeha's daughter. And after we turned on her she knew she had to escape." Her shoulders slumped and she raised her hands to her face, covering her eyes. "Wherever Selena is…I am sorry."

Thierry looked from Iliana to Thea and finally to Winnie. He clasped his hands together with a weary exhalation of breath and he began to rub them thoughtfully. "It's obvious where she's going." He said after a moment.

Thea chuckled again, a snort escaping her.

Blaise came forward, her hand leaving Thea's shoulders to allow her to cross her arms over her chest. "All right, stupid question, please forgive my ignorance." She said with a smirk. "Where is she going?"

Thierry glanced at her. "The First House of Dragons, of course." He answered.

Thea looked at him, eyes widening. "It still stands?" she whispered in disbelief.

The Night Lord nodded. "Under the cover of a museum. Over the years it has been renovated. But most, not all, of the old dragon writing is gone. The Aryans, later the Persians, used it as a temple to their Gods and to this day it stands because it is one of the biggest pieces to the past, to the beginning of human civilizations without the Night World."

Thea seemed to be searching her memory. "Persians. Middle East. The First House is in the Middle East."

"Iran, actually." Thierry said. "It's a museum but it's owned by the witches. So they can watch over it, I would guess." He shrugged.

Iliana was shaking her head. "They're going to kill her." She said softly, purple eyes tilted sadly. "She's going to walk right into it because of her soulmate, because she'll want to wake him."

"She has the spell to do it." Keller said with a lift of her eyebrows.

"But she can't use it. She isn't a witch." Winnie said flatly.

Thea turned a glare on her once more, feeling the fight inside her well up. "But she's a dangerous dragon, right, Winnie? She'll do just about anything to get her way?"

A loud chime cut the red-haired witch from retorting.

Galen came off the wall in a smooth movement. "My guess would be that the Mother has arrived. Nissa?" he looked toward the vampire and motioned with his head.

Together the vampire and shape-shifter left the room, heading for the front door.

Thierry sighed, leaning forward in his chair. "If it makes you feel any better, Thea, you're not the only one in trouble."

Thea looked at him and felt like an utter fool. It was all her fault. He had made her swear that should she be caught she knew nothing of him, nothing of Daybreak. And now he was going to face her punishment with her. Her confusion was replaced by regret. "I'm so sorry, Thierry. For dragging you into this." She said gently.

Thierry motioned away her apology as the red bulb in the corner of the room began to blink. The group was silent, all eyes on the light, the only sounds being the gentle breathing and the soft tapping of Rashel's bokken against the floor.

And then the bulb ceased to blink and there were voices in the hallway.

Thea closed her eyes tightly, fighting down the fear that was knotting inside her stomach. Blaise's hand gripped her shoulder once more, squeezing it, and Thea clutched at it tightly as if it were her lifeline. A fine trembling rose, her skin prickling.

An older woman entered the room, a slender curly-haired young man at her side. Galen and Nissa followed, the shape-shifter putting a key back in his pocket.

"Thierry." The woman said with a nod and she looked around the room, scanned every face. "Everyone. Unity. Please, explain to me what has happened."

Winnie rose automatically. "Unity, Mother Cybele." She greeted the woman respectfully, motioning to the seat she had vacated. "Sit. Please."

The woman nodded again, by way of thanks, and she sat, plump body settling into the chair. Her eyes flew to Thea sitting close by and she frowned slightly. "Something is wrong, isn't it?" she asked slowly.

Winnie's lips tightened into a firm line, hands clasping before her. She glanced toward Thierry, obviously looking to him to begin the explanations. But Thierry was staring at Mother Cybele strangely.

Iliana sat up with an impatient sigh. It was obvious, if no one else was going to open their mouth she would. "The dragon escaped." She said simply.

The Mother of Witches looked toward the Witch Child and blinked. Her mouth parted as she leaned forward a bit but no words seemed to make it passed her lips. Instead she blinked again and finally said, "What?"

Thierry's eyes narrowed and he looked smug, the slightest bit. "The dragon, Cybele." He repeated. "The dragon you sent vampires after. She escaped."

Mother Cybele shook her head quizzically, looking at him with a startled frown. "What dragon?"


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen:

Chime walked down the street slowly, eyes downcast. She felt stiff and she winced around the bruises left behind by her self-inflicted wound. The gash itself was closed over, healing nicely but there was discoloration all around. She realized her healing was far too slow for her to risk anything but it was still better, faster, than a human's natural healing.

Her bloodied shirt had dried, becoming hard and stiff. She slowly pulled it away from her skin, grimacing as it stuck a bit. 

This was great. Just great. Walking even slower now she began to think, looking down at the box of dragon scrolls. She had no home, no shelter. The entire Night World was after her hide. She had been betrayed. Again. She was almost human. 

And Rayne was still asleep.

She didn't even have a bottle of brandy to comfort herself with. Not that she would have drank any of it. But the color was soothing.

She sighed and lifted her face to the sky.

Dawn would be upon her in less than an hour. Morning meant more people, everyone getting up to work or do whatever needed to be done. By that time she had to have a change of clothes and a change of overall appearance. But she didn't know who to go to, didn't know who would be on her side. 

A young woman turned the corner up ahead, walking quickly. She glanced at her watch almost frantically and then raised her eyes, catching sight of Chime.

Chime was not surprised in the least when the woman slowed and then stopped altogether. Had she seen a woman coming toward her, with dried blood sprayed across her shirt and a haggard appearance on her face she would at least have thought there was something not right with the picture. She sized up the woman as she floated closer. The woman was a little taller than her. More voluptuous. And hundreds of years younger. But she would do fine.

Chime dropped her gaze to the sidewalk once more and walked. Out of the corner of her eye she watched the woman, observed as the stranger just stared at her in shock. She had the insane urge to laugh, maybe cackle at the poor woman. But there was a possibility she would traumatize her. So she kept her eyes on the ground as she reached the woman.

And then she reached out and clasped down on the woman's hand almost gently.

She had to hand it to her. The woman didn't scream. She inhaled in surprise, gasping, and automatically tried to free herself, pulling away and struggling. But Chime only needed a few seconds, a small amount of time to take down what she needed. She needed an imprint of the woman. The exact color of her hair, the exact shade of blue to her eyes. Her weight. Her height. Bone structure.

And her memories.

Even as the woman moved to open her mouth to scream, obviously having realized that fighting would get her nowhere, Chime released her and moved along. Just continued on as if nothing had transpired between them. She felt the woman's gaze on her back, digging in. It was all right. She had what she needed.

And she would see the woman again.

"What do you mean, 'What dragon,'?" Thea demanded, releasing Blaise's hand and sitting up rigidly. "Selena Chimes. The half-dragon, half-tiger. The one you want so that you can put her to sleep."

Mother Cybele was staring at her. "Thea, I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about." She said slowly.

Thierry was shaking his head, eyes distant. "She's not the one." He murmured and he rose from his chair in one fluid movement, lifting his leg away and turning to pace. "She didn't order it."

Winnie looked at his back. "No?" she asked faintly, confused.

"But…" Iliana motioned helplessly, frowning, "The scrolls. You sent us the scrolls. Why did you..?" she broke off, not understanding.

Mother Cybele blinked. "Because you asked for them, child. I sent you the scrolls because you asked for them." She looked around at the group in its entirety, perhaps looking for an answer in their faces. "I don't understand…"

"There is a dragon loose." Keller said, holding up a hand as Iliana continued to sputter in the background, "A half breed, half-dragon, half-tiger, but a dragon nonetheless in full control of her black energy and shape-shifting abilities."

Mother Cybele raised a hand to her lips slowly. "All right…" she breathed.

Keller motioned to herself and then her group. "We were under the impression you wanted her to put her back to sleep. She arrived here about two days ago with Thea-"

"Wait." Blaise suddenly cut in. "You were under the impression? You didn't have direct orders to bring Chime in?"

Thea raised her eyes to Keller, jaw clenching.

Keller's eyes narrowed. "Thea said the Mother was after Chime. We thought we had good enough reason to bring her in. As Azhdeha's daughter she was a threat-"

"Azhdeha's daughter?" Cybele frowned.

"You cornered her into her position! We didn't give her a chance." Thea argued. "She thought the Mother was after her! And after discovering one thing about her we turned on her, forcing her to run. We never even heard her out."

"It was for Iliana's protection-" Keller began.

Thea shook her head, twisting her lips. "For Iliana's protection…give me a break. It might have been for her but you were still wrong."

Thierry held out a hand. "At the moment it doesn't really matter who is to blame. What does matter is finding out who wants Chime. Finding out where she is and getting the scrolls back."

Winnie crossed her arms over her chest. "In a few days we'll know where she is. Monitoring flights out won't get us anywhere. But guarding the House of Dragons will. And she'll have the scrolls with her because she'll need the spell."

Mother Cybele cut in. "Spell. What spell?"

Winnie arched an eyebrow. "The spell to revive dragons."

Cybele's lips parted and there was a definite change to her skin tone. "Oh, dear…" she whispered, eyes widening. She looked from Winnie to Thea. "Is she a threat to us? And I want the truth."

Thea answered her slowly. "She's a threat if she can get the spell to work. But only if."

"Pretty damn big if." Quinn mumbled from the back.

Mother Cybele was nodding.

So was Thierry. "All right, then." He shrugged. "So, who is after her?"

The woman's name was Rachael Cain. She lived alone and had no children, no spouse. No signs of family, parents or siblings. She had planned to call out of work after returning home from an all-night bash.

It worked perfectly well for Chime.

She was balanced on a thick tree branch outside the woman's bedroom window. Her arm tightened around the box of dragon scrolls. She would have to hide the box in something less conspicuous because waltzing into an airport with a box of dragon symbols did not make her the least bit comfortable. She would also have to get rid of her clothes, maybe even wind a bandage around her sore ribs.

Bandages. She almost snorted. In the past, even after waking up, she had never seen the need for bandages. And now? Now she would wear them twice in one week. 

What was the world coming to?

She leaned forward carefully, going over her plan in her mind. She was going to assume Ms. Cain's identity and get a damn airplane ticket. And she would have to knock her out for a while, a day or two. Did Rachael have any sleeping pills? She was sincerely doubting it. Maybe some brandy? She pulled herself onto the window ledge, balancing herself precariously. She needed to protect herself as well. Her body was too frail now. She could handle more than humans, dish out a few attacks but she would need more. Weapons? Did Rachael carry weapons? Did she, herself, still remember how to use weapons? She had given up hunting already, a good seven years now. But inside she knew, picking up a rifle would be like riding a bike. You never actually forgot but you did get rusty.

Weapons were out. Even if Rachael carried them she couldn't get passed airport security with them. And Rachael really didn't seem like the kind to carry guns. She was still laughing over the thought as she pushed open the window and climbed in. She had her back to the door of the room, softly closing the window, when she heard the faint click from behind.

"It's you again." A low, feminine voice whispered from the doorway.

Chime turned slowly and caught sight of the pistol in the woman's hands. 

And then she laughed, out loud. She hadn't meant to, really she hadn't but it was all too damn ludicrous for her to handle. She hugged herself around the stomach, holding the box to her chest and she laughed merrily.

The woman's eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry. I'm so…sorry." Chime managed to wheeze. "It's just that…you actually _do…have a gun…" and she began to laugh all over again._

The woman took a step forward. "And you think I don't know how to use it, bitch?" she demanded, dropping one hand away and aiming at Chime's forehead.

The laughter melted away. "Please," Chime said, face becoming stony. "There's no need for name calling."

Rachael merely stared at her, gun hand unwavering. "What do you want?" she asked distinctly.

Chime pursed her lips. "Your life." She answered truthfully, quickly adding, "But only for a day or two. Then you can have it back, I promise."

The woman frowned, lips parting.

And Chime chose that moment to act. She darted to the side, falling to one knee. She was moving slow, she knew she was, and she had to pause for a split second to summon her black energy. Then she had it, felt it boiling down her arm, heating her muscles. Her arm swept upward and she unleashed a small concentrated burst of black power. The bolt flung the pistol from the woman's hand, sending it sliding across the floor. The next second Chime was up, her body flying through the air. She came down upon the woman, saw the exact moment the woman realized she was no ordinary opponent. They crashed to the floor, also sliding and Chime came up on top, straddling the woman.

Rachael's blue eyes were wide. "What…what are you?" she uttered in fear.

Chime shook her head. "If I told you I would be forced to kill you." She placed a hand over Rachael's eyes. "Thank your lucky stars I'm not a gossip."

"Tell me her story." Mother Cybele ordered..

They had gone over several reasons as to why one would want a dragon alive, coming up with manipulative plans to kidnapping a Wild power to something as simple as robbery and arson. Many reasons to have one but not one in favor of killing it. They were still on Square One.

"Her name is Selena. Selena Chimes." Thierry began, pausing in mid-pace. "She's over thirty-thousand years old, having lived during the time of Hellewise and Maya."

Mother Cybele was nodding. "I know of her. The only one with dragon blood, besides the dragon princess to be kept awake. I was under the impression she had died." She said.

Thea shook her head wordlessly but did not pick up the story. Instead she leaned forward and dropped her head into her hands.

"Chime, as we call her," Thierry continued, "had her soulmate put to sleep before the end of the shifter world. She survived the volcanoes, obviously, and hundreds of years after that she befriended a witch named Cassandra. I had also befriended Cassandra, only several years before Chime arrived. She had been made into a vampire not long after Maya made me."

"You knew Cassandra?" Thea asked through her fingers. She rubbed them over her face wearily.

Thierry glanced at her and nodded faintly. "She helped me out."

Cybele sighed, leaning back to fit her large frame in her seat. "She has been asleep this entire time?" she asked.

"No, actually," Thea answered for him, "Cassandra was killed in 1980. Chime has been awake since then." She explained.

Cybele frowned. "Was it this Cassandra who put Selena to sleep?" she asked in confusion. And when they nodded she continued, "Since 1980. This dragon has been awake since 1980 and no one knew?"

Thea and Blaise looked toward Thierry wordlessly.

The Night Lord cleared his throat. "Actually, she and I met up after she woke up. Luck." He shrugged. "I told her to go away, to change everything about herself and move on." He continued quickly, "And she did. I kept a bit of an eye on her after, made sure she was ok. For a little while she was a redhead. A few years brown-haired. Even became Asian once."

"What he's trying to say," Thea said lazily, slumping down in her seat, "is that she left everyone alone. She knew she was alone. She knew there was no way for her to find her soulmate. She was moving on."

Mother Cybele had turned her eyes on the young witch and now there was a bit of sadness there. Of understanding, it seemed. "You know a lot about her." She said slowly.

Thea snorted. "Not enough, obviously."

Cybele nodded patiently. "So, what happened to change that?" she asked, turning back to Thierry. "Why is she suddenly a threat?"

"She wasn't before these incidents." Blaise answered. Her gray eyes were hooded. "Something happened. Someone knew and they came after her. She almost died once already."

"So…" Cybele prompted.

Thierry crossed his arms over his chest. "So, I took her in. Just long enough for her to heal. But-" he looked toward Thea.

"But then I told her I would help her." Thea said in a dark tone. "I told her I'd help her find her soulmate and that I would need Iliana's help."

Mother Cybele began to nod in prefect understanding. "I see…"

"No," Thea said with a quick narrowing of her brown eyes, "No, you don't see. You don't see at all-"

Blaise looked at her. "Thea."

"You haven't seen what she's been through. You haven't lived it with her." Thea shook her head, her cheeks turning a dark red with her anger. "The only reason she fled is because she thought we were going to hand her over. To you."

Mother Cybele glanced at Winnie quickly. "I understand that." She said, turning her attention back to Thea. "But she did walk out of here with our scrolls."

Thea wondered for a moment if she should become snappish. Then she decided against it and settled for being sullen. "They're more her scrolls than ours." She sighed. "The witches continue to hold the grudge and I understand that it's our biggest fear to revive the dragons but the blame shouldn't be placed on Chime."

Thierry held up his hands. "No one is blaming anyone. First things first. We find Chime." He glanced at Mother Cybele. "And after, we try to find who id hunting her."

Thea looked at him and her look turned into a stare. "Then what?" she demanded. "After we find Chime, then what? What will you do with her?"

Winnie crossed her arms over her chest. "Let's just hope she makes it out alive." She said quietly.

Thea glanced at her quickly. And nodded.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen:

Chime checked the time. It was late in the night. Or early in the morning. The airport was still crowded but there was a quiet hush to the atmosphere, a certain peace. Her new clear blue-tinted eyes took in everything and she searched for any familiar faces, anyone who could have been following her. But she saw nothing. Only people mulling about.

She had borrowed some clothes. Black pants that fit like a second skin but opened up toward the bottom of the legs, enough to fit around boots. A sleeveless navy blue tank top allowed her to move comfortably and the leather jacket was warm over her cold skin. She looked down at her duffel bag. She had also borrowed a pocketknife Rachael had owned. Obviously the girl knew how to protect herself. The laminated scroll pieces and computer printouts were in a manila folder inside. The box that had held the scrolls had been left in Rachael Cain's house, along with Rachael who wouldn't wake up for another two days.

More than enough time for Chime to get to the museum and get herself killed.

She shook her head. She shouldn't think like that and especially not at this time. Now she had to make sure Rachael Cain didn't arrive late for her 1:00 am flight to Cairo, Egypt. She knew the witches would be keeping an eye out for anyone heading toward Iran. That was fine. Once she reached Cairo she would find another way to reach Iran. To reach the museum.

To reach Rayne.

She swallowed. "I'm coming for you, Endymion." She whispered and running a hand through her new short, dark hair she headed for her gate.

_The Past:___

_There was something in the air. A gentle breeze. A faint melody. And a soft, soft scent. She looked down at the old rickety bridge she stood on, at the stream running under it and then at the mossy green banks bordering the stream. It was lovely, all of it. She had never cared for it, but things were so different now, so much better. She felt happy, unconditionally so. She wanted to throw herself off the bridge and fall to the stream, fall to the earth and lay there in the sun forever.___

_Her vision was suddenly impaired as hands closed over her eyes.___

_"Hello." A quiet voice whispered close to her ear, soft breath warming the lobe.___

_She smiled faintly under the hands as the darkness before her eyes slowly turned a dark pink, the color pounding with life. "Rayne?"___

_The hands came away. Falling to the wooden rails of the bridge on either side of her. And a strong body leaned against her. "Maybe." He answered against her cheek. "Maybe not. Someone dear to you?"___

_She shrugged, looking down at his hands. They were long fingered, slender. Elegant. Perfect. She lifted her own hands to cover his, entwining her fingers through his. "My soulmate." She replied and she lifted her gaze to the blue sky, watched as the crystal clear heavens turned a golden-flushed rose.___

_The person behind her sighed. "I see. But he isn't here with you now. Which means I have you to myself." There was a suggestive tone to his voice that she found utterly delicious and rather devilish. He was up to his arrogant ways again. Further taken as his chin came to rest on her shoulder.___

_She bit back a grin. "True." She nodded slightly, feeling the tips of his wild bangs brush against her cheek. "All right. But whatever you do, don't tell Rayne."___

_The person pulled back a bit. "Say again?" he demanded in a feigned hurt tone.___

_Chime whirled, breaking into laughter and she embraced him, feeling as light as air. Her cheek rubbed against his jaw, her carefree giggles carrying around her. His arms met around her back after a moment and he exhaled against her comfortably.___

_"What did you do today?" he asked, seeming perfectly content to stay in her embrace. ___

_She didn't mind either. She felt protected in his arms, feeling his sharp angles and surfaces settle against her curves. They fit together, could mold their bodies into one if they tried, she knew. But she was happy to just breathe the same air he breathed, share the same space. She inhaled deeply, taking in as much air as she could fit in her lungs and then she pulled back to stare into his amber eyes. "The usual." She said, noting with pleasure that he didn't let her escape him much, as his hands were still firmly wrapped around her waist. "Helle and I planted some and took care of the gardens." She shrugged again, falling back into just gazing into his warm eyes. And then she found herself lifting her fingers to them, to his lashes. His eyelids vanished into single folds, the epicanthic fold, and his lashes were so thick and long they seemed to elongate the lines of his eyes. His irises were mere circles of hot amber, pupils wide.___

_But there was an impatience there, a slight shift in his mood. "Hellewise again." He sighed. "Always with Hellewise."___

_A tired frown creased Chime's brow. "Rayne-"___

_He closed his eyes, hard jaw setting grimly. Then he opened them and glanced off with a weary nod. "I know, I know." He said quietly, "But I just don't…" he winced, lines appearing along his forehead with the gesture, "I don't like you with her. She's a witch…" he broke off, the corners of his lips tightening.___

_Chime tilted her head. "She's not so bad. She's actually quite nice. And if you two became friends my family would be complete." She smiled, knowing the mere thought of befriending Hellewise made him retch.___

_Sure enough he snorted."Chime, the day I befriend her is the day lightning will strike me down." His arms tightened around her. "Besides, my family is complete. I have you. And all I would ever need is you. But I also have…" he suddenly broke off, glancing at her cautiously.___

_Chime had already caught on. "Your prince. Of course. You will always have your Prince." She stated stonily. "Am I right?"___

_Rayne exhaled, impatient this time. "Chime-"___

_"You hold him in such high, regard, your prince. But he is one man." She took a step back, out of his arms. "Not even a man. A creature!"___

_The pupils of Rayne's eyes shrank into ellipses and Chime knew she was pushing it. When he was mad the amber of his eyes seemed to boil. And they were steaming now. "What is your fascination with this topic? It's always the same thing!"___

_Chime shook her head and reached out, taking his hand in hers. "Your allegiance to him scares me, Rayne. He is but one man and yet you would give up everything for him. Everything!" she swallowed, clasping his hand with both of hers. And she was cold, deep inside. She looked down at it, his hand. At the slender fingers that were curled around hers. And then she raised her eyes to him and lifted his hand against her heart. "Why?" she whispered.___

_Rayne stared at her, jaw clenched. And he shook his head wordlessly.___

_Chime gazed back. Her heartbeat seemed to pulse all around, the throb running down his arm. "And me?" she asked softly, as light as a leaf falling through the air. "Would you give me up?"___

_Rayne's eyes dropped to his hand, his knuckles pressed against her heart.___

_Chime blinked, feeling tears unbearably close to the surface of her eyes. He wasn't answering her question. Why wasn't he answering her question? She dug her nails into his palm and he grimaced, quickly controlling the slip of expression. It wasn't a physical pain he was showing her. "Answer me." She said quietly and then louder, her face nearly crumbling, "Answer me! Would you sacrifice me to save your prince?"___

_Rayne's eyes seemed to be glued to their hands. "Yes." He answered, almost inaudibly. He blinked once, lashes sweeping down momentarily as he inhaled shakily. "Yes, I would."___

_Chime's lips parted in disbelief. No, not disbelief. Pain. Terrible pain, so powerful it was physical. A single tear rolled down her face but she was too stupid, struck dumb, to notice it. Rayne reached a hand up toward her face, alarmed, but she stepped back once more, ramming into the bridge railing. And then she looked down to see his hand still caught in her grasp and she flung it away, pulling away with an expression close to horrified shock. ___

He tried to say her name, she knew he did. But his lips moved and nothing came out but an exhalation of breath. And even if he had had anything to say she wouldn't have been able to hear it. She stumbled to the side, practically staggering, her hand lifting to cup over her mouth.

_'I kissed you, I loved you. I told you everything. Everything! I gave you everything!' It was all she could think, all she could repeat to herself. She couldn't breathe, could only gasp as pain washed over her. She had never felt so cold, so dead. Not even when her beloved mother had died.___

_Without another word she turned from him and walked away, her knees unsteady.___

_And his voice followed her.___

_ _

The Present

Several hours later:

There was a hard pounding at the door. 

Thea's eyes snapped open and she sat up instantly. Over at the window Blaise whirled in her seat, blinking. She was pale, dark circles under her eyes. Thea stared at her, moved to ask if she had slept at all. But then Iliana threw open the door, cheeks red.

"We may have something!" she shouted, a mixture of worry and elation on her face. "Hell," she corrected herself a moment later, "we do have something!"

Thea rolled off the bed, rising. And she felt dizzy. Moving too fast was never a good thing. She gave herself a second to regain her bearings before blinking and looking toward the flushed Wild Power. "What did you find?"

Iliana motioned, backing out of the doorways into the hallway. "Rachael Cain, age 26. She was found unconscious by a friend yesterday morning. There were signs of a struggle, a gun on the floor-"

Blaise followed Thea, frowning impatiently as Iliana rambled on.

"And the best part!" Iliana practically shrieked. "The box of dragon scrolls! Without the scrolls themselves but Chime was there!"

"Was?" Thea asked in a hard tone.

Iliana nodded as she turned and led the witch cousins toward the large staircase. "Was." She repeated. "Some of Rachael's stuff is gone. A leather jacket. Pants. Boots." She glanced at Thea over her shoulder. "Credit card."

"Has she used it?" Blaise asked instantly.

Iliana grinned knowingly. "Yup. One am flight to Cairo, Egypt."

Thea looked at Blaise. "Chime. She's going to the First House. She's actually going-" she said, panic beginning to set in.

Blaise waved a hand at her. "The First House isn't in Egypt. It's in Iran." She said patiently.

"Yeah." Iliana agreed. "But the way we figure it she's going to Egypt and from there she'll go a different route toward Persepolis." 

"Toward where?" Thea asked and she was her cousin's twin as her patience began to thin.

"Persepolis." Iliana said again. "According to Mother Cybele Persepolis was this ceremonial capital of some Persian Empire, some dynasty back in the day. And some of it still stands. But what was written in the scrolls is that the Persians came across the deserted remains of the First House and built from there, made it some big place to honor some king." She shrugged.

Blaise had an eyebrow arched. "How very informative you are."

Thea shook her head, "But it's not all still standing?"

Iliana's expression turned woeful. "Persepolis was burned by Alexander the Great. Any of it still standing, such as the First House, was renovated to look the way it had before. The Persians made records of what the audience halls looked like and they were used to restore a bit of it. But not all."

Blaise was nodding now. "Just the First House. Because it's the biggest piece of Night World history."

Thea shook her head thoughtfully. "Not Night World history, exactly. History of the dragons. Vampires didn't enter that picture until several years later when Maya turned." She broke off, exhaling. "So, she's heading to Persepolis." She murmured. Her eyes caught on Iliana and she slowed, forcing the Witch Child to halt. "And is she going to get into the First House?" she asked pointedly.

Blaise looked toward Iliana, bored once more it seemed.

Iliana shook her head. "I doubt it. She's down to half-strength and she was never full-blooded. There are powerful wards up around the First House plus witch guards." She shrugged. "My guess is she's formidable but it would take all her remaining strength to bring down the wards."

Thea inhaled, lips tightening at the answer. "Will they hurt her?" she asked stiffly.

Iliana cast a quick glance at Blaise but Thea knew her cousin wasn't going to help her. Sure enough the Witch Child's eyes were back on her in a second. "If it's necessary." She answered reluctantly. And she added quickly, "You know as well as I do, Thea, if she makes it this world is going down in flames. It's improbable but not impossible."

Thea nodded stonily and brushed passed, heading toward the main floor. With a sigh Blaise followed, Iliana bringing up the rear wordlessly.

Chime yawned wearily, checking her watch. She had slept on the plane, had a distant dream of Rayne, of the time he had finally let her know exactly what the Prince had meant to him. Needless to say it had not been the best memory. But then again, they were soulmates. Even soulmates had problems, ran into walls in their relationship.

She looked about. First things first before she began to think about Rayne all over again. She had to purchase a few maps. A map of Cairo and the quickest way out of there to Iran. She caught sight of a small shop in the airport and wandered over.

"I need a map." She said to the small man behind the counter.

He nodded, mumbling under his breath in a different language. Vaguely familiar, the language. She could catch a few words of it. Then he was holding up a map and she took it from him, smiling cheerfully. With a wave she turned and moved off, leaving the man to shout after her.

It was hot. She jammed the map into her mouth, holding it with her teeth as she stripped off the leather jacket and then she secured the jacket on top of her duffel bag, keeping it close to her hip. Another few steps took her toward the bathroom. She floated in, pausing by the mirror to check her face and realize she still chewed on the map. "Hmm…"

She ducked into an empty stall and locked it, putting down the duffel bag with a sigh. Thank the Goddess, the strap was making her shoulder sweat. With a sigh she opened up the map and looked at it. 

One direct route would take her out of Cairo. And she could see she was not far away from that highway.

She closed the map, stuffing it into the side pocket of the duffel bag. The folder's corner poked up inside the flimsy material of the bag and she smoothed it down carefully, tying the strap of the bag around the leather jacket. Her hair was short, unfortunately so she had borrowed a bandanna from Rachael to cover her horns. Now she untied it from her neck and adjusted it around her head, knotting it at the base of her neck. There. Perfect. She now felt good enough, confidant to find Rayne. She picked up the duffel bag, managing to fit the now-tight strap around her shoulder and across her breast.

Her knees trembled a bit.

After all the rest she had gotten she had prayed that she wouldn't still be weak when she awoke. But it was almost worse when she woke. She couldn't feel her black power in her blood, could almost convince herself it wasn't there. In fact she had done that to herself, scaring the wits out of herself. She had to call to it to make sure it was still present. And if she didn't pay enough attention her disguise would begin to shift away back into its original form. She was still fast, definitely faster than a human, could react quickly, but she felt as if her senses were muffled.

And she found herself slowly getting scared again. What was she going to do if vampires attacked her? Shape-shifters? If they found her they would easily take her down, rip her apart. She swallowed, looking around the stall as a sudden claustrophobia clutched at her.

_Breathe, Chime. Breathe.___

She couldn't afford to be scared. Not right now. Her life depended on her clear-headedness and she needed to keep an eye out for people who looked familiar. If they had found her after eighteen years of hiding, after she had fled to and out of Washington, it would only be a matter of time before they tracked her to Cairo.

Something clicked in the stall next to hers.

She came to a dead stop. She had not been aware that anyone had entered the bathroom. Or perhaps they had already been there and she just hadn't noticed it. It wouldn't surprise her, she was so absentminded these days. She shook her head and looked down at herself once more. Everything seemed to be in place. She smirked thoughtfully and then went through the duffel bag and pulled out the pocketknife, dropping it into her boot snugly. She straightened and wiggled her foot a bit.

Another click came, this one long and drawn out. Chime stopped once more and raised her eyes, keeping her head bowed. She trained her gaze on the wall of the stall beside her, to her right and she strained to hear. There had been something ominous in that sound. She frowned, holding her breath and muffling any sound that she might have made and she became aware of a shallow breathing in the stall next to hers. An occasional deep breath being drawn in.

Something wasn't right, and as if to prove it a shiver ran down her spine. She lifted her head slowly, all her movements quiet and thoughtful, and she looked at the ceiling. Water pipes ran along the ceiling, not too far above her head. And they looked like new pipes, not rusty or chipping in the least. The ceiling itself was an ugly yellow.

She heard the moment the person began to move. There was a quick inhalation of breath, shallow, and clothes rustled. Then a loud explosion sounded, almost directly in her ear it seemed and she ducked her head, pain stinging her temples. She shouldn't have been straining to hear, it made noise all the louder in her head.

Silence ensued in which all she heard was the faint echo of the earlier noise and a high pitched ringing. She opened her eyes slightly and looked at the wall to her right.

There was a hole in the stall wall.

She blinked at it in confusion, shoulders falling back stiffly. And at that moment a second explosion sounded, another hole appearing in the stall wall. And then a third, the terrible sound and a third hole. But the last one brought a sharp twinge of pain and her body suddenly spun against the opposite wall, slamming into the metal loudly. For a moment she was stunned, her face against the cold wall and then she grimaced as another wave of red-hot pain shot down her arm. She slowly bowed her head against the wall and looked down at her arm, toward her elbow, trembling. There was blood sprayed across her ivory skin, across the stall in a horrible design and her flesh along the side of her elbow joint was torn, ripped open.

She'd been shot.

She couldn't comprehend it. It took her a moment. She merely stared at her ruined skin, lips parted in shock. She was automatically reaching around with her right hand, clamping down on her elbow and wincing as it stung. And then there was blood on her right hand and she just couldn't believe it.

With a shuddering breath she lifted her eyes to the opposite stall wall and stared at the three holes, at the paint that had ripped and chipped from their entry. 

Gunshots. They had been gunshots.

The door of the next stall opened and she followed the noises fearfully, eyes wide. She heard the person come out of the next stall, circle about to inch up and pause outside her closed door. She looked down frantically at her arm as tears of anguish rose in her eyes. It hurt, more than she could say. 

But not as much as burning alive had. She clenched her jaw, slowly lifting herself away from the wall and ignoring the outline of blood she had made on it. Her eyes rose to the pipes running above her stall and she thought fast, in panic.

A slight click came from outside her stall and she brought her attention back down just as more explosions came. They were somehow louder than the ones before and this time they followed in formation. A gunshot, followed immediately by another. Holes ripping through the metal of the wall.

And she dodged. She did her damnedest to get out of the way but there was precious little room to maneuver in the small cubicle. The gunshots streaked by her, some narrowly missing as she ducked, darted and flattened herself against the walls. Others flew wild, pounding into the brick wall behind the toilet. Her elbow burned horribly but she forced it down, detached herself from it until it became a distracted throbbing running under her adrenaline. She had to keep moving because eventually her attacker would run out of ammunition.

With a growl she ducked one last gunshot and then hopped onto the toilet seat. Another gunshot streaked by her neck as she whirled and jumped again. Her good hand caught onto a water pipe, her wounded arm clutched against her chest. She bent her legs in, inhaling deeply. Then she exhaled and kicked out for the door.

Her feet slammed into the metal and the lock broke, hinges snapping loudly. The door itself flew off its frame, slamming directly into a person hiding behind it. A female cry rang out, ending abruptly in a choke as the stranger, then the door, crashed into the brick wall before Chime. A body fell to the floor, collapsing under the door and finally there was silence.

They had found her. So quickly.

Chime lowered herself slowly, hopping down from the pipe, her feet dropping to the tile with a soft thump. She came forward warily and while the body hidden under the door didn't move her hand was still wrapped around her weapon, finger caught by the trigger. Chime moved forward silently and dropped into a crouch beside the gun, staring at it intently. It was sleek, and it could fit comfortably in her hand. She had had her share of weapons in the passed few years, had even been held at gunpoint a few times. Hadn't lasted long but it had happened nonetheless. She was tempted to laugh at the humans once more.

Then she looked at her elbow and scowled at the wound. It was healing but her blood still ran. If she hadn't been weakened it wouldn't have happened. Her good arm snaked out and she took the gun into her hand. Sig Sauer. She checked the clip. Empty. Her eyes went to the unconscious body again and she saw the metal peeking out of the belt.

The Goddess was shining now.

She took the clip from the person's belt, jamming it into the weapon. And she admired it for a moment before tucking it into the waistband of her pants, along her spine. Looked like the leather jacket was going back on. She should wash herself off. But those gunshots had been loud. If she stayed any longer she would get trapped by security. But if she walked out bleeding she would be a sight. She was going to have to ruin the leather jacket interior. She bent toward the duffel bag and untied it, slipping it on once more and sighing as it molded against her body. Then she slipped the duffel bag strap over her shoulder, tightening it. And finally she checked her attacker.

Small. Brown-haired. Brown-eyed. Olive complexion with a lean body. 

Her eyes widened a bit. And human. No vampire teeth. Her pupils didn't shift into ellipses when she opened them. And while she was attractive she was not inhumanly so.

They were sending humans after her?

The bathroom door opened and only then did Chime realize in what position she was in. She raised her head, blue eyes catching on a woman coming in. She wore mirrored shades, had a cap of blood red hair and a tight jaw. And before Chime could move she had another Sig leveled at the dragon.

She smiled coldly. "Gotcha."


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen:

Chapter Sixteen:

"Get up." The woman said firmly. She had a commanding voice even though it was husky. Chime glanced at the body under the door and realized it was better if she did as she was told. She rose from her crouch slowly, arms hanging by her sides limply. Was there blood visible on her hand? Running down her arm? And where were the security guards? There had been gunshots, damn it. She almost found it amusing that she wanted security now when only a moment before she had been hoping to evade them.

"Back away." The woman ordered. And as Chime took a few steps back the woman came forward, stopping beside the unconscious body. She nudged the girl but there was no response from her. With a sigh the woman tilted her head at Chime. "Did you kill her?"

Chime forced an innocent expression, hoping her pain wasn't noticeable on her face. "Why don't you ask her? Maybe she can talk through a mouthful of blood and teeth."

The woman didn't respond to that for a moment. Then her lips pulled away from her teeth and she kicked the door off the small girl, flinging it toward Chime angrily.

Chime batted it down reflexively, ignoring the loud crashing it made as it hit the floor at her feet. She cocked her head. "Let me guess. Human?"

The woman paused in her visual study of the unconscious girl. Her head came back up and Chime saw herself reflected in the mirror of her shades. "What?" she demanded, a frown creasing the smooth skin of her brow.

"I said-" Chime began again.

The bathroom door opened once more, cutting her off. And a tourist, dressed in khakis and a bright yellow shirt entered. She took a step, catching sight of Chime and the two strangers and then came to dead stop as she saw the gun in the woman's hand. The red-haired assassin whirled, quick for a human.

And Chime chose that moment to pull out her new weapon.

The tourist gasped, big brown eyes moving from the assassin's weapon to Chime's. The assassin rose, spinning back around to face Chime and automatically lifting her weapon.

Chime already had her Sig pointed at the woman's forehead. "One more time." She said wearily. "Are you human, yes or no?"

The woman had stopped lifting her gun and now she held it before her tensely, shoulders lifting and falling warily.

"Yes or no? It's a simple question." Chime argued casually. "But why am I asking. If you had been Night World I would have had some kind of fight on my hands…"

The woman slowly inhaled and straightened, composing herself. Her face turned hard and cold as ice and it didn't win her brownie points.

Chime sighed. "Get out." She said.

The assassin almost frowned again. But Chime spoke once more, blue eyes flickering toward the tourist. "I said, get the hell out." She repeated coldly.

The tourist backed up, trembling and then whirled and raced out with a sob. The red-haired woman tilted her head, obviously watching the tourist scramble out from beneath her shades. The door slammed shut behind her and then Chime was alone with the assassin again.

She smiled. "Tourists." She said lightly. "You'd think they'd learn…" she came forward, pressing the barrel of her weapon against the woman's forehead. "Give it to me." She ordered, lifting her hand and suppressing the wince that threatened to break out along her face.

The woman smirked but she reversed the weapon after a moment and placed it into Chime's hand. Chime smiled and glanced at it. Another Sig. That was fine with her. She secured it behind her back, close to her tailbone but a bit to the side. And then her eyes caught on the woman's belt and widened. "Ooh!" she said excitedly, leaning in for a better look.

The woman exhaled, her breath rattling, as the barrel pressed further into her third eye.

"Are those clips?" Chime asked, eyes gleaming at the numerous packs attached to the woman's belt. "Take it off, please."

The woman swallowed but slowly lifted her arms. She moved to dig behind her back and Chime watched her with a knowing smile. She was going to try something, she saw it coming a mile away. It made her smile widen.

The belt came loose and Chime reached in with her wounded arm, grasping it. And then the woman's right hand came forward, a small blade in her hand gleaming wickedly in the bright lights if the bathroom.

Chime brought her gun arm down automatically, pulling it away from the woman's forehead to slam it against her wrist. The attack was deflected and then she leaned forward, bringing her leg up behind her back. Her boot smashed into the woman's face with a cracking sound and Chime righted herself with a frown as the woman staggered backward, clutching her eyes. She had only meant to stun the woman, not break anything.

The woman stopped, hand covering her eyes.

Chime lifted her weapon again, holding the belt against her side. And she exhaled quietly in relief as the woman lifted her head. Her mirrored shades hung in shattered pieces from the wire frame which was still looped around her ears. She blinked repeatedly, pulling the shades off and flinging them aside.

"You're really stupid, lady." Chime said to her, a cold anger rising inside her once she was sure the woman was all right. She cocked her head at her. "Do you know what I am?"

"A bitch?" the woman growled, fingers pressed to a cut below her eye. They were a lovely green, her eyes. A light green and they stood out perfectly against her blood red hair.

Chime laughed humorlessly. "Only to those who hold me at gunpoint." She said with a slight shrug. And her voice became hard again. "I don't think you understand what you're up against. Perhaps you were hired to kill me. Perhaps you just wanted some money, you and your friend." She nudged the unconscious woman's foot with her boot. "Whatever the case, you really don't want to screw with me right now."

The woman's eyes moved toward the knife which had slid to a stop under one of the bathroom sinks. 

"I don't know how many more people are in this with you and at the moment I really don't care." Chime continued firmly. "But I am walking out of here alive and…" she broke off and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, "You know what? You're coming with me."

The woman straightened slowly, eyes widening a bit.

"Yes. You definitely are." Chime nodded. She sauntered over to the sink, eyes trained on the woman as she bent and retrieved the knife, placing it into her opposite boot. Then she lowered the gun, securing it along her back with the other Sig so that both handles pointed out of her sides.

The woman took a step back, watching Chime slowly. She swallowed tensely and asked quietly, "Why do they want you?"

Chime arched an eyebrow, coming forward, the duffel bag a bulk on her hip. "You tell me." She said coldly. "You work for them."

The woman's expression became quizzical. "I heard they've been looking for you for a while. A few years."

Chime paused. "Who?"

The woman shook her head. "I don't know who they are and I have never seen them. I work for someone who receives orders from them." She clenched her jaw. "He said it wouldn't be an easy job."

Chime squinted. "Was that a compliment?"

The woman smirked. "They said you were old." She said in what seemed to be spite. "You're one of them vamps, right? Shifters don't live long."

Chime sighed and twirled her finger. As the woman turned her back on her warily she came forward. "They didn't tell you much of anything, I can tell." She said, coming up behind the woman. She glanced down at her arm quickly, frowning at the line of blood dripping off her hand. 

"Not a vamp?" the woman asked in surprise.

"Dragon, lady." She answered and she didn't know if the word had any effect on the assassin. She placed a hand on the woman's spine. "Let's move out."

The woman's shoulders fell in defeat and she reluctantly reached for the knob, pulling the bathroom door open.

Several loud commands rang out as they stepped out into the quiet hush of the airport. Chime took in the entire scene in seconds, looking about quickly.

Males dressed in a uniform of sorts were in defensive positions surrounding the bathroom door. She took count, light blue eyes surveying the situation. Seven men, all with weapons drawn. And civilians off to the sides, cowering and watching in wide-eyed interest from behind pillars.

The woman suddenly stiffened. "Oh, sh-" she whispered, her head snapping up to look toward the second floor overhead. 

A single gunshot rang out. And the assassin lurched backward with a gurgle, crashing into Chime heavily.

The security guards whirled to look up toward the second level overlooking the main floor, Chime looking up also. But the security guards didn't see the man with the rifle. Only she did.

And when more gunshots rang out she began to move. They were all aimed at her, the gunshots. The woman in her arms was limp, a bloody mess made of her chest. Chime grimaced as she clutched the corpse with her wounded arm, holding the body against her. Another shot struck the woman in her shoulder, spraying blood and a third whizzed by Chime's head.

She ducked.

The security guards opened fire on the second level, their shots going wide. Chime couldn't believe it. They couldn't see him behind the pillar and she was staring him dead in his face. 

With an impatient growl she shoved the woman's corpse away. She moved to take a step and the security guard directly before her took a shot in the throat, crashing to the floor and sliding in a mess of bright blood. Chime whirled away to avoid the blood, to avoid the sight of the dead security guard but it was there, scorched into her memories. With an angry glare she looked toward the second floor, murderous thoughts flying through her mind.

The man aimed the rifle down at her again.

She cursed, bending low, muscles tensing. And with a mere thought she was springing forward. She sailed over the body of the guard, a blur of black and blue, all grace and agility. She landed in a cat-like crouch five feet away and rose to her feet just as a shot streaked by the back of her head. Without pausing for a breath she threw up her arm instinctively to cover her face.

And finally she ran. She adjusted the duffel bag to rest along her spine and, leaving the remainder of the guards to cover her, she broke into a sprint. Or rather, it was a sprint for her. It was an all out race for a human. She ducked her head low, arms pumping, and she took off at an inhuman pace, each step taking her away from the bloody scene. She felt a slight shifting in her muscles, knew her human form was rippling to allow her the speed of a cat, the quicksilver reflexes.

People were screaming. She realized it as she ran but it was all a muffled vision. The adrenaline surging through her wasn't allowing her to feel pain and she knew once she got her muscles to relax her arm would be on fire and her ribs would be throbbing. She was vaguely aware of the gunshots. She could hear them following her at her heels, heard them breaking up the floor. Pieces of marble continued to spray her from behind.

But she didn't care. She realized it as she ran. She didn't care what the hell was going on around her. It was almost like believing that if one covered themselves from head to toe during the night the boogie man couldn't get them. She believed it then and she believed it now. If she looked ahead nothing would drag her back. There was no danger behind her, nothing to fear. Just herself and what lay in front, what lay before her.

She focused on running, on keeping her jaw locked tight and her eyes narrowed. Her hair floated behind her, along her shoulders and reaching out from under her bandanna. That almost made her pause. Her disguise was fading away. Her bangs were still black but her hair was growing to its normal length. The duffel bag continued to bounce along her spine, the barrels of the SIGs digging into the sides of her tailbone.

For a moment she wondered what would happen if they went off.

The floor to ceiling windows on her right side suddenly burst. Inward. She ducked her head automatically, protecting herself with her good arm and she veered away. But her ears rang with the shattering of glass. And small shards of it attacked her, tangling in her clothes and her hair, digging into her bare skin. Her boots slipped across the debris, nearly taking her down.

She ducked toward an escalator, darting under the second level. She couldn't see him now. Which meant he couldn't see her to shoot her. She came to a crouch beside the escalator wall and peeked around to survey the situation.

The floor was littered with the bodies of the security guards, all minus two who huddled behind corners and pillars. People were also strewn across the floor, many injured, very few dead. But even one innocent death was too much.

Was this all because of her? Because they didn't want her reaching Rayne? Now that she had the scrolls she was an even bigger threat. But was it because of that or because she was alive and awake?

It was then she remembered the windows had burst inward. She looked over quickly, at the bright light seeping in through the broken gaps and she saw a figure there, a dark form. It was a blur. She blinked to correct her vision, to focus it but when she opened her eyes the figure was gone. Just gone. She rose a bit, frowning in disbelief.

An explosion went off, echoing through the sudden quiet off the airport. A sharp force slammed into her good shoulder, flinging her backward. She toppled roughly onto her duffel bag, sliding across glass and marble.

And for a moment she lay there, in shock and pain. Her head had slammed into the hard floor, igniting sparks behind her shut eyes. And her entire body was aflame, agony shooting through her like wildfire. She couldn't move. At all. She had gathered herself stiffly and she felt as if she were made of cardboard. One wrong move and she'd snap into pieces. 

She couldn't believe it. And through her pain she laughed, rather hysterically. Two shots and a stabbing in one week. And then there had been the incident with her house. It was comical, so unbelievably insane. She managed to open her eyes, opened them to slits and she saw a tall figure out of the corner of her eye, the rifle guy from the second floor, coming down the escalator. She turned her head slowly, painfully, to watch him through narrowed eyes as he rode down the escalator, carrying his rifle like a damn guitar. She twitched her shoulder and winced, couldn't help the reaction. Blood rose from it, and she was aware of a puddle widening under her prone body. Her dragon healing was sluggish, it would take hours to heal a wound like this.

Today was a good day to die, she decided finally. She turned her head to look toward the sun streaming in through the shattered windows. It was a warm day, would have been happier had it not been for assassins.

_Hey, mom. I went to the airport today. Guess what happened? Yep. Terrorists...___

She sighed wearily. She wanted her mother right then and there. Her mother had always been her comfort. She had been there to heal her cuts and blow kisses across scrapes. Sang to her to take away her tears.

_Sing to me, mother. I think I'm going to cry.___

The man was above her and she turned her head slowly to look at him. She smiled. It was him. Always him. The one that had burned her house down. The same one who had been after her and Thea in Washington.

He pointed the rifle at her. "She has decided you can't be allowed to live. You are much too powerful and can't be allowed to side with Daybreak." He told her flatly.

She sighed wearily, breath rattling loose from her crumpled form. Her arm bent up along her waist, her wounded elbow protesting. "Who has decided?" she asked in a whisper.

The man smiled, black eyes glittering. "An old friend." He answered. Then he paused, cocking his head. "Actually, she was never your friend."

Chime gazed at him for a long time. And then she chuckled humorlessly, eyes closing momentarily. "It's Maya." She stated. "Isn't it." And she wasn't asking because she knew it was the truth. It had to be.

The man shrugged. "You'll never know." He said coldly.

Chime twitched as the barrel of the rifle touched her forehead. It was cold, unwanted. Sent painful shivers down her spine.

The man leaned down and grasped the strap of the duffel bag, pulling it to free it from under Chime's limp body. She ducked her head, hand snaking under her hips, and the strap was pulled from her.

"It's a shame, too, that it has to end like this. So quickly." The man continued, winding the duffel bag strap around his lean wrist. "You were such a good opponent. Kept me on my toes."

Chime eyed him, suddenly wanting to tell him that he talked too much. But he seemed distracted. The Goddess knew he was distracting. She wanted to put herself out of her misery just to shut him up.

Then he looked down at her, one last long glance. "Goodnight, my rival." He said, pulling the duffel bag onto his shoulder.

Chime's right hand lifted, wounded shoulder screaming in protest, and she clamped onto the barrel of the rifle, jamming it aside and into the marble floor. The man staggered a bit, caught off balance, and he hunched forward awkwardly, refusing to let go of the rifle. 

She pulled out one of the SIGs, leveling it against his smooth forehead and clenched her jaw.

"Good night-" she uttered, closing her eyes.

The rest of her sentence was cut off by a muffled gunshot, a sharp force jolting down her wounded elbow. Blood sprayed, flying everywhere, catching her in the face and the man toppled backward, falling to the floor heavily.

"My rival." She whispered and she opened her eyes and stared at his body, good shoulder raised off the floor. She realized she was trembling violently, the Sig wavering in her grasp. She remained where she was, ready for him in case he suddenly rose but praying to the Goddess he didn't.

She felt the sudden urge to weep.

Instead she gave a dry, whimpering sob as she slowly settled back onto the cold, hard floor. She had almost died. She had been in danger of it for the passed few weeks but only today had she come within seconds of it, seconds of having her head blown off. She whimpered again, her hand falling to the side limply, finger tangled with the trigger, and she stared up at the ceiling.

The humans had been cannon fodder. Hired to bring her down if possible but their lives had been expendable if they couldn't. The vampire was dead, finally. Had the figure outside been his partner from the Washington airport? No. He had blown all the windows. Vampires didn't have a power to shoot.

How many more of them were there?

A shout rang out from the side, back from where it had all started. The bathroom. And the cry woke her up from the dreamy state she had unwittingly lapsed into. She raised herself again, weakly and saw the very first human assassin take a step out of the bathroom, dark eyes wide at the scene before her.

The two remaining security guards were aiming at her.

Chime lifted herself with a muffled groan, wincing. Her shoulder was of little good but her elbow was on its way. She realized distantly that she was one big throbbing pain, sore in so many places she could no longer distinguish.

Just as she sat up the woman saw her. Her dark eyes narrowed in disbelief and she stiffened, staring at her. Then her gaze dropped to the vampire's corpse beside Chime and her jaw fell open.

One security guard shouted at her and the assassin looked at him dumbly.

Chime wondered in the back of her head if she had taken all the weapons from her when she had been unconscious in the bathroom.

A moment later her question was answered. Moving faster than Chime would have expected the woman streaked to the side, reaching into her jacket. A weapon appeared in her hand and with a tightening of her jaw she began to shoot, taking down one security guard immediately.

Chime slowly came to one knee, clutching her Sig and wounded shoulder with her gun hand. She lifted her eyes wearily, black hair falling down either side of her face and onto her tattered and bloody jacket.

The security guard remaining was shooting frantically, speaking rapidly into a small radio he held. 

The woman ran low, ducking to the side and attacking back, brilliant lights sparking from her sleek weapon.

Chime rose, eyes trained on the woman. She straightened painfully, her face slowly darkening into a mask of serenity. Of purpose.

The woman threw herself behind a pillar, pausing momentarily to catch her breath. 

Time seemed to slow. Chime frowned, watching the assassin as she loaded another clip into her weapon.

The security guard ceased to shoot and all around, people waited anxiously, muffled sobs echoing in the stillness of the airport.

Chime felt misery well up inside as the assassin laid her head back against the pillar. She seemed so unbearably young all of a sudden. Like a child. She watched her as she inhaled deeply and then expelled the breath. And then she watched the girl as she crossed herself, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Chime lifted her weapon, a fine trembling coursing through her body. And she closed her eyes for a moment, taking a breath to calm herself. To prepare herself. And to plead for mercy.

Forgive me, My Goddess.

The woman pulled out something, a pocket knife, from the back of her jeans. She flicked it open, staring at it blankly. And then she flung it, back in the general direction from which she had come.

It served its purpose.

The security guard followed the knife as it flew, squeezing out shots. And the woman whirled, gathering herself and breaking into a feverish sprint. She left the safety of the pillar, racing for the other side of the escalator to hide behind.

Chime tightened her jaw and fired. Once.

The shock coursed up her arm, jolting her elbow. But she barely felt it. All she felt, all she knew, was that a bright red splotch appeared along the girl's ribs, splashing the white shirt in hideous color. The girl pitched backward with a pained shout, slamming into the hard floor.

The security guard stared in disbelief at the writhing assassin on the floor.

Chime exhaled , lowering her weapon. She felt the guard's attention shift toward her but she was too far from caring. This wasn't her face and it wasn't her body. She secured the Sig along her back once more, under her belt of clips and then leaned down stiffly, grasping the strap of the duffel bag. She lifted it weakly, winding it around her head to rest along her good shoulder.

The security guard called to her.

Chime looked at him and shook her head wordlessly, wearily. She turned her head toward the windows and saw the cars pulling up. More officers. She turned away, kicking aside the dead vampire's rifle, and she began to stumble away toward the back.

People watched her as she trudged. And she kept her eyes down in shame. All because of her. Her knees trembled, threatening to give out and she gritted her teeth, forcing more strength, pulling all her remaining energy toward her legs. One step. And another. One leg after the next.

A footstep sounded directly behind her.

She whirled automatically, hand going for one of her SIGs along her back. But she missed it somehow and when she faced the person behind her the world didn't stop spinning around her. She blinked as a man came into focus momentarily. Then she exhaled, knees dissolving under her and she slumped into blackness.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

_The Past:___

_ _

_There was a banging at the doors. Loud. Unwelcome. ___

_Selena whirled in Rayne's arms and looked toward the direction of the entrance with wide blue eyes. "They're here." She whispered and she suddenly felt dizzy, light and breathless.___

_Rayne looked toward the dragon prince and motioned for him to back up. The Prince shook his head slowly but Rayne grasped Selena by the wrist, hauling her along as he began to move toward the Prince.___

_"My Lord, you have to go to the back. The Throne Room. If the witches get through we can hold them off here. But you can't be here." He said to him reasonably and his voice wavered slightly. He was nervous, his anxiety growing with every pounding at the door.___

_The prince shook his head again, a lost expression on his face. "Dayra…" he whispered and he looked toward the side door the little girl had retreated through. "Zhadayra…and Damien…I have to find…"___

_"Kinshiro." Rayne said evenly, tone stone cold.___

_Selena stared in disbelief. She knew what the prince's name was but no one ever used it aloud and never in his presence. But it served its purpose for the Prince paused in his absentminded whispers to look at Rayne.___

_Rayne slowly held up both hands, releasing Selena. "Now is not the time to argue. There are witches coming for our hide and if they get the chance they will kill you."___

_The prince opened his mouth to speak but Rayne was already pushing him backward, toward the back door of the room.___

_And then the entrance doors burst open, splintering and cracking.___

_Selena whirled and saw the witches coming in through the entryway. There were many of them, stepping and stumbling over something blocking the entrance. Bodies. Two of them. She narrowed her eyes, staring intently at the front steps of the Dragon House. The bodies of the two dragon guards were there, their necks and foreheads bleeding profusely. Five witch bodies were sprawled out on the floor also, all brutally mangled. Torn limbs were scattered in pools of red fluid, streaks and sprays of the same liquid on the tall, white pillars. Selena's hand flew to her neck as she saw stubby dragon horns barely visible in the pools of blood over the white marble.___

_"Rayne…" she choked, clasping a hand over her mouth to hold in the bile, "Oh, my…Rayne!"___

_And it was then that she heard the deep, husky voice. It was low and yet loud enough to carry through the halls, echoing eerily. The witches came forth, several swarming in, their hands pulsing with power. And in the center of their crowd was Witch Queen Hecate, beautiful in all her glory. It was her voice echoing in the Royal Halls, her murmurs under the cries and shrieks as dragon rose up against witch.___

_Selena spun toward Rayne and he was rooted to his spot, staring with wide amber eyes. Behind him the prince looked dark, hands clenched into fists at his sides.___

_"Rayne!" she cried, reaching for him, pleading with him desperately, "Come with me!"___

_But Rayne was turning away, grabbing hold of the prince's arms and shoving him into the back door. The prince fell against it but he pushed himself off, fighting Rayne as the Guardian came at him once more.___

_"Rayne!" Selena shouted. Then something struck her from behind, a glancing blow off the back of her head and she crashed to the floor with a pained cry.___

_Rayne whirled, eyes catching on her and he came to a dead stop. "Selena!"___

_He never called her Selena, she thought dimly though terrible explosions of light. Not since the first few times they had been together. Like everyone else he had learned to call her Chime. And through the burning pain she wondered at how strange it was to hear him say her name.___

_Someone straddled her from behind, a heavy weight settling on her back, and her hair was shoved aside, fingers touching her horns.___

_From the entrance a girl shrieked, her voice familiar. "No!"___

_Rayne lifted his hands, amber eyes narrowed hatefully. A black flame of magic blossomed and his hair flew as it erupted, streaking outward toward Selena. She ducked her head against the cold floor fearfully, biting down on the insides of her cheeks. But from above her there was a muffled shout and then the weight flew off her. There was the sound of something hitting the marble floor and she knew her attacker had been taken care of. She opened her eyes, lifting her head slowly.___

_The side door opened and she looked over to the see the nanny, Jana, slump lifelessly to the floor, coming down to Selena's level. Her brown eyes were open wide, staring at Selena and her forehead mauled. Selena cried out in horror, scampering sideways.___

_Witches emerged from the room, hands glowing, all except for two who held a small, screaming child between them. She stared at them as ice froze her stomach over, stared as they carried the child, muffling her screams.___

_The princess.___

_"Dayra!" the Prince shouted and his black irises flashed silver, his face dark as the blackest night. He shoved passed Rayne, his hand lifting.___

_"Kin!" Rayne whirled frantically, holding out an arm.___

_Another body dropped down on top of Selena, two hands clapping over her ears. A soft voice murmured hazily, quivering and sobbing. Selena closed her eyes and fought in panic, throwing her body and bucking. But even with its light weight the person was holding on.___

_A body toppled to the floor beside Selena, a dead witch, and she whimpered in hysterical terror as glassy blue eyes stared back at her. The person straddling her continued to mumble in painful sobs, her small form shaking.___

_She needed to get away. Now. Now, now, now. She couldn't look into those flat blue eyes. She turned her head away, gritting her teeth to keep from crying and she spun onto her back lithely, causing the person on top of her to stagger sideways. She opened her eyes as the person straddled her again. "Helle?"___

_The witch clamped down on her mouth quickly. "Let me save you!" she shouted and she closed her eyes, beginning to chant again.___

_Off to the side Maya floated forward to meet the group of witches holding the child. She clapped slender hands over the child's ears, bowing her head to chant.___

_And Hecate, amidst her army of witches, raised her hands into the air.___

_Above her, Hellewise leaned forward, pressing her forehead into Selena's shoulder. "It'll all be better now." She whispered sadly.___

_Streaks of white magic burst from Hecate's hands, shooting into the air with the large crashing of thunder. The bolts zigzagged, forking and striking like lightning, its brilliance blinding. Selena watched it over Hellewise's blond head of hair, marveling at its beauty, its radiance.___

_But when it began to strike the dragons her awe turned to horror. It swallowed dragon guards whole, enveloping them in light. They flailed, limbs stiffening as if they had been caught by natural lightning.___

_Selena snapped her head to look at Rayne.___

_He was down on his knees, hunched over, his dark cloak falling heavily to the floor around him. And his prince was behind him, body lying against the walls.___

_It wasn't hitting her. She realized it only then. She looked at Helle who was hiding against her. "Hellewise…it isn't hitting me." She said shakily.___

_Helle lifted her head to look at her with teary brown eyes. "I am protecting you." She said faintly.___

_Selena stared at her, frowning. And then she looked back at Rayne and began to scramble, shoving at Hellewise. "No, don't! Hellewise!" she pointed toward Rayne. "Helle, you have to save Rayne! You have to-" she reached a hand out as bolt upon bolt of lightning struck him, "Rayne! Damn it!"___

_The remainder of the doors crashed as someone else entered.___

_Hellewise whirled, Selena looking passed her, an arm outstretched toward Rayne.___

_A single person stood in the doorway, blocking the sunlight. He was cloaked in the uniform of the First House, the Royal Crest emblazoned and visible along the blowing sides of his cloak. He wasn't more than a child, early in adolescence. His dark brown eyes surveyed the situation, following the streaks of lightning to its source.___

_"Damien." The prince whispered.___

_The boy darted forward, shoving aside witches who descended upon him. His dark eyes blackened, the iris blocking out the entire white of his eyes in his sudden fury.___

_Hellewise rose slightly. "Mother…"___

_The boy lifted a hand, slowly it seemed. Smoke billowed from his fingertips, black lightning sparking from his palm.___

_"Mother!" Hellewise screamed, her voice echoing in the halls, above the sounds of fading battle.___

_Maya opened her eyes and whirled, hands still clasped to the dragon princess.___

_The boy fired, the force of his black burst shoving him back a step. The energy streaked by witches and dragons, grazing several along its path. And it struck true, striking the Witch Queen from behind.___

_A cry tore from Hecate and there was the audible sound of something snapping. Then there was no sound at all as she toppled to the smooth floors of the Royal House.___

_Hellewise stared in disbelief at her mother's figure upon the floor, her silver hair spread out over her face and along her tall, slender frame. Her hair, however, did nothing to hide the hideous burn and cooked flesh of her spine.___

_Maya was pale, paler than ever before, her full lips parted in disbelief.___

_Selena looked at Rayne and he was heaving, chest rising and falling as if he had just run a race. The prince slid down the wall to his knees, body hidden under his heavy cloak.___

_Maya looked at Hellewise, stunned.___

_Hellewise gazed back. And then as if in accordance they were both suddenly moving. Hellewise scrambled to her feet and raced over to her dark sister. Maya snatched up the dragon princess in her arms as if she were her own child. But there was no love on her face. Nothing but determination. She turned to face the entire hallway, pressing her back against the wall, holding the child before her like a shield. And she began to chant again.___

_"Hellewise, no!" Selena shouted, rising to her feet. And nausea washed over her, her vision doubling painfully. She fell to one knee, lifting her hand to touch the bloody bump she had received earlier. "Hellewise-" ___

_Hellewise put herself before her sister and the dragon princess, her hands clasped as if in prayer. With her words of magic something shimmered into being surrounding her fingers and she threw her hands into the air. The witch magic had the sheen of a bubble, rainbow colors flashing across its clear surface and it spread around them, blocking them from the dragons.___

_Maya's voice rose, the Spell of Eternal Slumber echoing.___

_The prince took hold of Rayne's wrist, motioning first to Selena and then to the side door.___

_Rayne shook his head, rising on wobbly knees.___

_The dragon boy came forward, dark eyes confused. "Kin-" he called uncertainly.___

_White magic sizzled from Maya's hands. Hellewise lowered her arms in one fluid movement, hunching forward and her sister lifted one arm, the other wrapped around the sobbing dragon princess.___

_Rayne rose before the Prince, face dark. Darker than Selena had ever seen it.___

_She whirled as the white glow streaked into the air, as powerful and brilliant as its mother spell had been. She spun toward Rayne, lunging at him and he caught her in his arms, falling backward under her sudden weight. He stumbled against the wall, the Prince caught behind his legs and cornered against the wall.___

_I can save you. I can save you…___

_The magic enveloped them all.___

_She didn't understand what was happening but she was cold. Sound was suddenly muffled under the magic, quieting until there was nothing but the low thrum of energy. It went on forever, the blinding light surrounding her and she embraced Rayne against herself, holding him fiercely, willing herself to take whatever pain he felt. But there was no pain, no feeling. Nothing but that horrible monotonous thrumming sound.___

_And then it all went away and she opened her eyes to find Rayne unconscious in her arms, the Prince laid out at his side, also unconscious.___

_And the dragon princess whimpered in the silence that ensued.___

She cried that day, full heart-wrenching sobs that threatened to break her. And she swore to herself, holding Rayne's head against her collarbone that this would be the last time she cried in sorrow. Never again.

The Present:

"Check out these babies." A masculine voice said from somewhere nearby. "Haven't seen these in a long time. Not since Jez and I used to hunt." He sighed. "Ah, memories…"

Also from above but not from the same direction as the masculine voice came a feminine voice. "Morgead, put those down. Why did they pair me up with you? I still don't understand…" and then the voice grew sharp, "Don't you point those at me!"

The first voice, the masculine one laughed wickedly. "It's not like they can hurt you, Kes." He said but then there was a hard thump from near her head and the sound of footsteps pulling away.

The woman growled, the sound rumbling in the room. "Kestrel, Morgead. Not Kes. Not Kel. Kestrel." She said coldly. "Why couldn't someone else come with you on this? Why me? I was just visiting!"

"Yeah, yeah, all right. Fine. Quit your complaining." The man sighed.

Chime whimpered weakly. Something flashed before her eyes. A vision. Loud screams. Panicked cries. And loud explosions. A woman with blood red hair and piercing green eyes. A cut bleeding under one clear green eye. The spraying of blood, all around and then the woman with red hair falling back in slow motion, arms flailing. A man over her, pointing the barrel of a rifle at her. And someone's hands, her hands, appearing in the scene, pushing the man's rifle aside and lifting another weapon to his forehead as his dark eyes widened. Blood. Always blood. Flying, staining. His body toppling back, eyes rolling up into his head as he died. A woman crossing herself behind a pillar. And her hands again, the same hands that had killed the man, lifting her weapons and shooting, taking the woman down also.

Death. Death was all around. No. She was Death, snuffing out lives with ease. She was cold-blooded, had become a killer because of someone close to her, because she needed to reach him, had to find him. And there would be more deaths so long as she hesitated. 

Her eyes snapped open and she sat up, scrambling, heaving a deep breath. And then utter, excruciating pain raced up her entire body like flames and she feel back onto the mattress under her, crying out through clenched teeth.

"Hey! Whoa! Whoa, wait!" the masculine voice shouted from above her and two hands gripped her, one on her left shoulder and one along her collarbone. The hands pushed her down on the mattress, holding her down and she couldn't fight him even if she had wanted to. All she wanted was to die. Die or be numb, whichever was possible at the moment.

Her eyes came open again and she blinked, chasing away bright splotches and finally focusing on two people above her. A man and a woman. Both young. Both rather mean looking but at the moment they seemed worried. Perhaps a bit anxious.

"Where am I?" Chime asked through gritting teeth and she shoved one of the hands away. It belonged to the woman and the stranger pulled back a bit, still clutching at Chime's shoulder cautiously.

"Ok, calm down." The man was saying smoothly, "Calm down-"

"You calm down!" Chime yelled at him, throwing aside the woman's other hand. "Get away from me!"

The woman backed away fully, lifting her hands to her hips. A dark smirk played across her face and her yellow-hawk eyes flew to the man, eyebrow arched.

The man sighed, stepping away also.

Chime inhaled shakily and looked from one to the other warily. The girl was a bit familiar, her features, but she knew they had never met. The man was a stranger.

"All right." Chime said slowly and she swallowed, forcing an even tone. She rose again, carefully this time and then looked at them once more. "First question. Where am I?"

The man glanced toward the woman, green eyes guarded. "Safe-house. In Shiraz." He said slowly.

She stared at him in distaste. "Shih-what?" she asked distinctly.

"Shiraz." The woman answered in a snappish tone. "In Iran."

Chime turned to retort at her but then her sentence sank in. "Iran?" she asked, eyes widening. "Then Persepolis…Persepolis is…is…" she looked around, feeling the stirring of energy inside. "Where are the dragon scrolls?" and then, with a tightening of her jaw, "Who are you people?"

The man held up a hand. "Easy. We're getting there-"

"Where are my clothes!?" Chime exploded, finally looking down at herself. She was bandaged like a damn mummy. White strips wound around her left arm, around her first gunshot wound. More white strips were secured around her shoulder, from her right bicep straight up to her collarbone to protect her shoulder. The strips then wrapped around her breasts and ribs.

She lifted her eyes angrily. "Someone is about to die a very painful death." She growled.

The woman looked happily cruel. "It won't be one of us, dragon. You're weak. You wouldn't hold your own."

Chime looked quickly to her left, where she had heard the sounds earlier. She saw her Sigs at the same time the man saw them. She swiped at the small night table beside her bed as the man lunged forward. Her elbow was operating well enough but her shoulder still hindered her. It didn't matter. All she needed was to squeeze off one shot, just one. The woman would be the first to go. Then the man if she could manage another shot. And if he was human.

The man shoved her right arm aside, across her chest away from him as she swung the weapons toward him. She winced as he pushed on her wounded shoulder but quick as a striking snake she had the other Sig barrel pressed to the underside of his chin.

He came to a dead stop, stiffening before her and he looked down, green irises meeting her cold stare.

Chime was not amused. "You might want to see where my other gun is pointed." She advised quietly.

The man glanced toward the second Sig and followed the line to its target. Which was the woman who was on the other side of the bed opposite him.

"Back…up." Chime said through clenched teeth.

The woman took several steps away, the man doing the same. Chime slowly untangled her arms, pointing freely at them now. She twitched her shoulder a bit. Perhaps to get the blood flowing. She needed desperate healing. "One last time. Who are you. Who sent you. And why were you stupid enough to bring me to Iran?"

The man glanced toward his companion and the woman waved impatiently. He shot her a dirty look. "hey, I don't want to be here as much as you do, all right?" he snapped at his partner, eyes narrowing.

The woman moved to retort.

Chime cleared her throat. "Ahem." she said delicately. "I have the guns. You do not. Answer the damn freaking questions."

The man shook his head and finally looked at her again. "My name is Morgead. She's Kestrel. And we're with Circle Daybreak."

Chime sighed wearily. "Circle Daybreak. Ok, great. So, that means I should just kill you now. Sent by…Thierry? Did he betray me, too, then?"

"No." Kestrel answered. "No. Thierry sent us to find you and hide you. We found out all about you taking over Rachael's Cain identity. A friend of hers came looking for her, they had made plans to hang out and he found her unconscious." She paused. "He was also a witch and saw the dragon scroll box. It spread like wildfire after that."

Chime sucked on the insides of her cheeks. "That's just lovely."

"Thierry and Mother Cybele are going straight to the First House. They're probably already there. You've been out for a day and half."

Chime lifted her gaze to her slowly, feeling her stomach tighten. "You're lying." She stated firmly. But was she? If Thierry and the Mother were already there, there was no way she would get out alive. The Mother probably already had him convinced she was the Devil incarnate.

Morgead was frowning as if he didn't understand. "What would be the point of lying now? Thierry sent us to convince you to stop what you were doing. They're already waiting for you. If you continue on you'll be seen as the enemy and they'll deal with you whichever way necessary."

Chime's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't the enemy until you forced me to become it." She said angrily. "I was living my perfectly happy life but you, all of you…" her weapon wavered and she grimaced, trying to tighten her grip. "Why? Why would you do that to me?" she exhaled through clenched teeth, "Did you not think I would try my damnedest to stay alive?"

Morgead glanced at Kestrel and Chime could tell the girl was confused.

"Don't look at me like I'm crazy!" Chime shouted at her furiously. "From the beginning it was a joke! The Mother came after me, sent me running and then sent Daybreak after me to continue the game! That was it, wasn't it?!"

Kestrel held up a finger, utterly and thoroughly confused. "Where are you coming from?" she asked with an arched eyebrow. "Mother Cybele did not send anyone after you. Up to like two days ago she didn't even know you existed! Someone else is after you."

Chime looked from her to Morgead who was gazing at her cautiously, lips parted slightly, a lock of black hair falling onto his temple. "You're lying." She whispered again, uncertainly.

"No. No, we're not." Morgead said quietly. "Mother Cybele was never involved. But once you had the scrolls she was. She won't allow you to step foot inside the museum with that spell-"

"I can't cast the spell!" she shouted, raging at him and he shut up immediately. "I am not a witch! The spell will not work!" Every word came out, stressed.

Kestrel shook her head, back to her snappish tone. "Then why go? What would seriously be the point? Why go if you can't wake them? More bloodshed? Because people are dead, you know." She cocked her head. "Twelve people died yesterday in the airport. Six security guards. Two of the assassins. And four civilians." She shrugged, gold eyes narrowed dispassionately. "Why?"

Chime stared at her and she was hearing her voice but the words didn't go with her moving lips. Her voice was slow, like a record breaking up. She brought her gaze down to her weapons still leveled at them and not for the first time did she realize she was trembling. "I…I have to go." She whispered, blinking distractedly. The world didn't seem real for a second. Like she was outside her body, watching herself point the guns at them. "I have to see him. Because…because…"

"Because…" Kestrel prompted.

"Because I finally can." she answered softly. She shook her head and looked up at the woman. "Because I know where he is and he's almost within arm's distance." She shook her head and as if shaking loose something more excuses tumbled forth, "Because all I ever want to do is collect bottles of brandy and when I have them all I want to do is fling them across the room in anger. Because I can't dream about him anymore, I can't." she shook her head again, feeling tears rise in her eyes but she blinked them back, didn't want them to escape. The ball in her throat made it hard enough for her to talk. "I want him to be real, I want him to exist. I want him to wake up, open his eyes and look at me. Look at me with those eyes…those eyes…" her voice drifted as her hands wavered again, "I want him to…to…"

She let one of her guns drop onto her lap. "I want him."

Kestrel crossed her arms over her chest wordlessly and Morgead was watching her, eyebrows pulled together sadly.

"Whoever is in this, and whatever part they play…" she hesitated, sucking in her cheeks, "It doesn't matter. I have the chance. And I'm going to take it." She lifted her gun arm once more and determination set in. "Where are the scrolls?"

Morgead straightened a bit, Kestrel throwing him an 'Uh-oh' look.

Chime's eyes flew from Kestrel's amber figure to Morgead's dark one. And she felt an unbelievable surge of fury. Had she been a volcano she would have erupted and erased all of humankind from existence. "Oh, shit-" she growled and she forced her hand to stop trembling, finally managed such a tight grip that she actually wondered if she could crush the Sig in her hand. "You sent them back, didn't you?"

They didn't answer.

But she knew. She most definitely knew their answer and she had never felt such a wave of cold rage. All her work, all her pain. Only to end up at the beginning. She shook her head and chuckled, sighing. And then the humor left her face and she ordered, "Turn around."

Morgead frowned but did so after a moment. Kestrel imitated him after another cautious moment.

Chime lowered a Sig to clasp the blanket wrapped around her waist. She flung it off and the fact that she was naked only proved to anger her further. "You. The girl. Kestrel." She called stonily. "Where are my clothes?"

Kestrel glanced at her over her shoulder.

"Remember what you're dealing with." Chime said, already reading her mind. "You may be Night World but this isn't my first time using a weapon. Now get me my clothes."

Kestrel sighed impatiently and then trudged over to a corner of the small room. She crouched, pulling forth Chime's duffel bag from under a desk.

Morgead shifted a bit, looking toward her over his shoulder. His green eyes flew down and then back up her frame, widening momentarily before he whirled back around and lifted a hand to scratch his neck awkwardly.

Kestrel rose, clutching bloody clothes. And then after a moment's consideration she hauled over the entire duffel bag, placing it on the bed before Chime before joining Morgead again.

Chime looked at the clothes in the duffel bag. And then she looked at herself. She was back to being blond and blue-eyed. This time around she would forget about her horns. If people saw them, then they saw them. She really couldn't bring herself to care anymore. 

She closed her eyes for a moment and expanded her other senses. Morgead and kestrel shifted every once in a while but no sudden movements which meant they were staying where they were. 

With a soothing breath she focused on her hair. At her command it began to shorten, climbing up her neck and darkening until it was a shiny black cap hugging her head and temples hugging her head and temples. She opened her eyes and blinked. Twice. The color of her irises shifted from blue to purple and finally to black.

People were wrong. Blondes didn't have more fun.

Slowly, Chime lowered her weapons, tucking them under the bedcovers a bit. And watching Morgead and Kestrel she reached for her clothes, pulling on her black pants. Her boots were under the bed, she noticed. And the blue sleeveless tank was a mess of blood. She wouldn't get far with it before getting stopped in her tracks.

She glanced at her bloody bra resting inside the duffel bag. She wouldn't be needing that. She bent slowly, tossing aside the bloody shirt. She had taken along another shirt from Rachael. A black, long-sleeved shirt. Good enough.

When she was done she pulled on the belt of ammo and the leather jacket, grimacing as it slipped down heavily on her frame. 

The two Sigs went into the back of her pants and she noticed the pocket knives in the duffel bag, buried under more clothes. She reached in, taking them out and replacing them back into her boots before tossing aside the duffel bag. It was of no use to her now with the dragon scrolls on their way back home.

"Ok." She said lightly and as they turned, "point me in the direction of Persepolis."


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen:

Chapter Eighteen:

Thea Harman looked about the First House of Dragons. She was here, actually standing inside the walls that had been home to the Legendary Prince. Thousands of years ago he had roamed these halls, several guards and guardians at his every beck and call.

It was enough to make Thea a bit dizzy.

Mother Cybele stood off to the side speaking with Thierry in soft tones. The plump woman seemed worried. Perhaps anxious. Thea narrowed her eyes a bit before looking around some more.

Blaise was staring at pillars, roaming along, almost floating, long black hair falling thickly down her back. She paused before a pillar, and ran slender fingers over the etchings and archaic writing.

The First House had a large dome of witch magic surrounding it, wards of protection. And they all stood inside of them now. Herself, the Mother, Thierry, her cousin Blaise, Winnie, Nissa and five witches the Mother had asked to accompany them. Also, two witch guards were at each entrance and the First House had two, the main in the front and a large stone staircase on the side. The marble and the porcelain used by the dragons long ago had been replaced with stone and from Chime's stolen memories Thea knew once the humans had renovated the First House had lost much of its beauty.

She still saw the rose bushes and cherry blossoms.

And she understood a bit of the layout as it had once been. This hall led to another long hall and then on to what could have been the prince's throne room, the direct center of the First House. And there were several large rooms surrounding that center room and hallway, all linked up around their core. It all seemed to be only a floor in height.

"Thea." Mother Cybele called.

She looked up from her lost thoughts and drifted over to the Mother and the Night Lord. Thierry's eyes were dark, hooded, and he himself seemed thoughtful. Quietly so.

Mother Cybele took Thea by the hand as she came up before her and led her down the hall toward the door. In Thea's mind she knew that coming hallway was where Chime had first met the Prince.

Thierry pushed open the wide doors.

The hallway here was even larger than the one before it. And there was a door at the other end, a very familiar door. Pillars all around stood magnificently, lovely stones with beautiful carvings, bordering the central pathway. And between the pillars, in the shadows, were several stone cases standing vertically against the walls.

They hadn't been there in Chime's memories.

Mother Cybele took her down the pathway slowly, clutching her hand. She paused halfway down the hall, looking toward the door but she instead veered toward the left. Thea followed reluctantly. She would have stopped if it hadn't meant having Thierry run into her from behind.

"You want to see where he lies, don't you?" Mother Cybele murmured, taking a few steps and hesitating once more.

Thea looked at the back of her head, stricken. "You mean…Rayne?" she asked hoarsely.

Mother Cybele motioned to the case before her. "Rayne Endymion." She said, motioning to spidery writing etched into the stone. "I can not open the coffin. There are too many wards surrounding it, it would take me hours. And even then I do not have the strength to move the lid."

Thea tore her eyes from the Mother and looked at the dusty stone coffin standing before her. It was large, the case, perhaps a good seven feet tall. Elegant etchings in its rounded face. And it looked old, an artifact from another world, another time. A time she was vaguely familiar with.

She found herself calling out, reaching to the coffin with her thoughts. 

Are you there, Rayne? Can you hear me? Can you understand me?

Mother Cybele watched her as she gazed at the coffin, feeling the urge to cry. He was here, before her, the person Chime had spent so much time looking for. She wanted to do something but what could she really do? All she could do was hope that Chime didn't come here. It spelled disaster for her.

Do you even realize how much Chime has missed you?

"The coffins had been buried underground at first but through the years there has been much digging because of archeology." Mother Cybele said from beside her. "We made this house into a museum and then we brought the dragons back here. To the world the coffins are said to house the remains of the great Persian kings, Darius and Xerxes, but to us…these are our history, our link to the time when we were unequal."

Thea continued to stare at the coffins, hearing the sadness in the Mother's voice. It almost made her regret her anger. But then she closed her eyes and she realized she could imagine how Rayne looked in the coffin. Bathed in darkness, lean body resting against cushions, his head bowed and his features peaceful. Did he still wear his First House uniform?

"And the Prince?" Thea asked faintly. Her eyes left the cryptic writing on Rayne's tomb and focused on the Mother of Witches. "Where is he?"

Mother Cybele's hands clasped before her plump frame. "Down below."

Thea turned her body to face the Mother slowly. "Down below?" she questioned, eyes widening.

It was quite obvious Mother Cybele did not want to tell Thea. But she motioned to the side after a moment. "One of the side rooms has a staircase leading to a lower level, to what might have been a treasury. He lies there. With his brother and sister."

Thea took a step. "I want to see it."

Mother Cybele was in her way a moment later. "There is no reason for you to see it. I don't want anyone down there." She said firmly, and she meant business. Thea understood her fears. All that was needed was the Prince to awaken and then it would be the World of Dragons once more.

Thea stared at her, eyebrow arching a bit. Then her eyes flew toward Thierry but he remained wordless, face blank. There was no help there and she knew it.

Instead she whirled back to Rayne's coffin.

She'll find you and I will help her set you free. I promise it, she swore to the dragon lying inside.

Morgead looked at Chime cautiously, recoiled a bit in surprise at her new appearance. Beside him Kestrel turned just as slowly.

"You're still going?" the woman asked her, hawk eyes narrowing. "For what purpose? You can't wake him. You won't be able to see him. And you won't even be able to get in, the place has wards-"

"Just the kind of situation I thrive in." Chime said with a smile and she struck a pose. "How do I look?"

Morgead looked like he was coming close to sputtering. "Wards!" he said, echoing Kestrel. "You can't get in! It's a freaking suicide mission-"

Chime however was off in her own world. "The pants are still good, so are the boots. A black shirt is better than a bloodied blue one although if you drenched the blue one in blood it would also look black." She paused, looking at the blue shirt on the bed thoughtfully. "Maybe if I-"

"They're already there, just waiting! Mother Cybele and Thierry! If you go they'll get you for sure-" Morgead was saying.

"No, that's just disgusting. What was I thinking?" Chime laughed to herself. "Imagine soaking it in pigeon's blood! Can you just picture me at the window with my Sigs, shooting every bird in sight?" and with that she dissolved into louder peals of laughter.

Kestrel tried as well. "Are you crazy? Are you even listening?! You'll be killed! Don't you care what happens to you in there?"

"The leather jacket is messed up but I really like it, still." Chime continued on. "It fits quite nicely-" and she picked at a bullet hole in the leather along her shoulder, frowning delicately at it.

"Thierry sent us to convince you not to go-" Morgead said evenly, propping his hands on his hips.

"And boy, did you fail there." Chime shrugged, checking her Sigs and then running a hand through her cap of shiny black hair. "Where did that bandanna go?"

"Don't you care?!" Kestrel shouted, fuming. She threw her hands up in the air. "God, it's like talking to Jade! Not a damn word gets heard!" she snarled and her eyes gleamed as Chime merely looked at her innocently. "Thierry is putting everything on the line to help you win this! And the only way to win would be to survive! Don't you care about sacrifices made for you-"

"Only one was ever made." Chime said and her voice and face were suddenly very, very dark, morphing in the blink of an eye. Her eyes gleamed. "Only one sacrifice was ever made for me and it damned me to this existence without him. Don't you dare give me your crap on sacrifices because I make too many of them."

Morgead shook his head as Kestrel fell silent beside him. "And Thierry? He's helped you for so long. You would screw him over?" he asked her with an arched eyebrow.

Chime looked at him, stared at him searchingly. And then she looked down, bowing her head. "No." she answered softly. "No, I wouldn't." She smirked, chuckled humorlessly. "I'd just screw myself over."

Kestrel and Morgead gazed at her.

"Thank you." She whispered. She lifted her head to look at them both. "Thanks for helping me. For caring for me. But I can't stay. And I can't back down. Not now. And not anymore." She bent down and checked her boots for the pocket knives. "I need a way to get to Persepolis. A road goes there, right?"

Morgead glanced at Kestrel quickly. She stared back, eyes throwing him a meaning. Somebody had to stop her. But instead he sighed.

Then he was reaching into his pocket, pulling out a set of keys and holding them out to her. "My bike is outside. There's a general route that leads between cities here in Iran. Take the bike about five miles out of Shiraz and the first dirt path that veers off will lead to Persepolis."

Chime stared at the keys dangling before her then raised her eyes back to him. With a shallow swallow she moved forward, taking the keys into her hands and staring at him when he let her.

Kestrel sighed wearily as well. Obviously defeated. "Thierry is not going to like this," she murmured, plopping down on the bed.

"Thank you. Again." She nodded, the faint shadow of a smile beginning to cross her lips. She tossed the keys, catching them expertly and then began to turn away, heading toward the door. 

But just as she made it to the door she said, "Ash."

Kestrel frowned, looking up from the bed.

"That's who you look like. Kestrel." Chime continued, facing the door. "Ash." And then she laughed. "And I wouldn't have killed you. The safeties were on. I'm surprised Morgead didn't notice it."

With that she left.

Kestrel threw Morgead a glare as the door closed behind her. "Why didn't you notice it?" she demanded.

Thea lifted her head from the writing on the pillar. She had moved into the throne room, had stared at the single throne at the back of the large room. And she could see the prince there, even imagined she saw Rayne at his side, laughing merrily. Had that scene ever existed in the past? 

A sudden shiver raced down her spine and she frowned. It was eerie, the strange tingling. She normally didn't get such feelings but when she did she knew to trust them. She looked over her shoulder, staring from her cousin to Winnie, who was hovering close to Nissa, whispering. She looked at the five witches who had been asked to come along but they were just as interested in the pillars as she was, a pair of them laughing to the side. It did nothing to lighten the mood, however.

Something was about to go very, very wrong.

She looked around again, wishing the feeling would go away. But it wasn't going anywhere. It was just getting stronger, almost like a prickling now. The strange presence of something ominous wasn't coming from the Mother, wasn't coming from Thierry.

She looked toward the five witches as they grouped together and watched them as they began to move toward the door.

Them. It was coming from them, that strange sensation. Dark, that thick air. It surrounded them like a cloud. She moved to follow them, catching Blaise's eyes along the way.

Just as she made it to the door to follow the witches out the last of the five shoved her back into the room roughly. She stumbled back with a cry and the door slammed in her face.

"Hey!" she shouted and she sprang forward, throwing herself against the doors. They didn't budge at all. "Hey!" she cried again and she banged her fists against the doors angrily, alerting Thierry and Mother Cybele.

"What is it?" Cybele asked coming up behind her.

But she froze as chanting began from the other side of the door.

Selena Chimes allowed the motorcycle to fall onto the sand and dirt. The ride had been torture on her bottom and legs but the soreness simply lifted away as she stopped to stare at the vision before her.

She was seeing ghosts from her past. Pale ghosts with hollow circles under blank eyes. Witches. Dragons. Shape-shifters. Everything that had existed. Everything that had been her past was waking up now as she stood before the structure, jaw hanging open.

The First House of Dragons. She was here, after all these years. After hundreds of years of looking for him only to come back to where it had all begun. She swallowed, staring at the walls. The entrances were on the other side for she faced a back corner.

White pillars. Not these, these were stone. Ugly. But she could see strong white pillars in her mind. Vines tangled around fountains and marble springs. And the trees and bushes. Cherry blossoms. Rose petals flying through the air to lie at his feet as he came forward. 

She could feel him. She came to a dead stop and just listened to the raspy wind as it flew over the sand, blew it into her hair. Something pulled at her, enveloping her and pleading with her to come forward. And it was him. She wasn't sure how she knew or how he did it, because he was asleep. She knew he was. And yet she felt him, his presence humming through every part of her being. 

She swallowed and looked at the purple sparks that fizzed as sand flew too close to the First House. Wards. Her face darkened. She would get through those wards. She was not about to let witch magic keep her from her soulmate.

It was time to make a third entrance.

She closed her eyes, bowing her head. And she felt the weakness in her body, like a black cloud suffocating her. She felt the pain and soreness of her wounds, the tight bandages which inhibited free movement. It was all the same, all to hold her back. A physical and mental block.

Inside her body she called to her black power. She called and then summoned it angrily, forcing it to respond. She needed it now and she didn't care whether her body said it was all right. Mind over body.

Duty over love.

She clenched her eyes hut, feeling a swell of emotion, anger and sadness. Fury that he would risk her for him. And that fury gave her strength, made her not only feel her power but make it boil inside. She could almost hear the low rumble as it surged through her veins with her blood. She agitated it, suppressing it and compressing it yet working it into a tight frenzy. Given enough time it would come out in a powerful burst, breaking through the invisible barriers she had instilled to hold it in. And when it did it would have all her dragon power behind it, all her mental strength. 

It would be enough to blow the roof off.

She opened her eyes, irises dark, and silver flashed in their depths. Then she took a step forward, into the wards, and she was suddenly dragging an incredible weight with her. She was dragging the wards, she realized. Her body, emanating the black energy was clashing with the wards, pulling and trying to break it down, break it apart. And the protective witch barriers were visible now, smooth walls of clear, purple light. Sunlight threw rainbows across its surface and it fizzed as her shield of black energy clashed with it. She pushed, with her body and mind, clenching her jaw and shoving her way forward. It was like trying to walk down the street when the rain and wind were pushing you back. And the wards resembled the surfaces of a bubble, shimmering with a soapy sheen. Something so fragile and yet she was feeling the immense strain it took to break through. She forced more strength, biting down on the insides of her cheeks. She had to get through and she had to do it quickly. Chances were great that there were witch guards and if they caught her she would be weak from trying to break through. She had to get through now.

And then, miraculously, something cracked and shattered.

The walls of witch magic burst outward behind her as her dragon energy exploded from within. Like glass it shattered, pieces shooting out. And as if time had stopped the pieces hung in the air, frozen in space, splinters of witch ward.

Selena felt her features shift at her release. Not back into herself but through all her passed disguises. Through all the people she had been, dating back to her old life in the World of Dragons. Her hair lengthened, shortened, brightened and blackened once again. And her irises raced through every single color of the spectrum, remaining a single color for no more than a few seconds.

She felt a second release and she pitched forward, the pull of the wards letting go, allowing her entrance. She stumbled a bit, legs weakening and she nearly fell to the ground. Her black power exploded from her once more, a third time, a short burst from her body, cleansing in its release.

The stone wall of the First House cracked and crumbled inward before her, leaving behind a large gaping hole as her entrance. And as she looked behind her she saw the shining slivers of witch ward pull back and close over, melt to form the impenetrable wall once more.

Mother Cybele raised her head, hands clasped before her as she leaned toward the door. "It's the Old Language. I barely understand it." She whispered, straining to hear. "But they do not honor the Goddess."

Thierry had his arms crossed over his chest. "No, they don't." he agreed. "They're putting up more wards to hold us in here-" he explained, looking towards the Mother. "Powerful wards."

Thea glanced at him. Of course he would know. Before he had become a vampire he had been a witch.

A sudden shiver ran down Thea's spine and it seemed to be transferred through every witch in the room for they all looked about in confusion. It was a bit like the eerie feeling she had felt moments before the witches had trapped them in, although this was an entirely ominous tingle. 

The message was plain however. All was not right.

It was Winnie who understood. "The dragon," she said quietly, looking at the Mother. "The wards…" she swallowed. "She's through."

Thea whirled on her. "Chime?" she demanded. But before Winnie could answer she turned to the Mother. "Why can't we get out?" She placed a hand to the door and a sudden electrical charge jolted through her, forcing her to recoil with a cry.

"Witch magic." Cybele murmured, Thierry gazing at the door with a quizzical frown.

"They have us trapped." Thea stated, hands on hips. "Can't we break through? There are only five of them. We have enough between us to get through-" she said, motioning to the group.

Cybele suddenly looked at the door again, head snapping. And her eyes widened a split second before the large crack. She stumbled back a step, dragging Thea, Thierry ducking his head and scooting back with them. And for a moment they stared at the zigzagging streak in the stone of the wall. 

Then the wall exploded.

A cry tore from Thea as pure air and stone smashed into her and she went flying, crashing in a heap on the floor, rolling. Several shouts and shrieks rang out in the group as pebbles and rocks pelted them, forcing them back. Then there was silence, nothing but the faint patter of stone and the gentle swoosh of air and dust.

Thierry coughed, rolling over onto his rear slowly. He peeked through the dust, a hand lifted to cover his face and where the door and wall had been was now a wall of pulsing purple witch magic. He rose slowly, eyes narrowed, and patted the dust from him. Four women were outside the wall of magic, looking in, heads bowed in intense concentration.

Cybele sat up with a frown, squinting through the dust.

But Thierry was the first to see and recognize the fifth witch as she came around the line of dark witches. His eyes widened and he felt floored as she smiled at him, dark hair and eyes gleaming.

"Cassandra…"


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen:

Chapter Nineteen:

Selena looked around with a slight frown. This room was not familiar to her although a bit of the writing on the walls and pillars were. It was the language, the writing of dragons. Her face saddened as she floated through it, her fingers reaching out and running over the engravings. This was her history before her, under her fingertips. It was her past.And it was almost painful, to stand there and think about something that had once been and was now erased.She looked away slowly, lifting her eyes to the pillars before her. Names of Princes, of kings who had come before, only to be remembered through ancient letters and artifacts. 

She forced herself to face away and move toward the door. It was time to see the witches and face their wrath. She slowed as she came to the door and then stopped altogether as she became aware of chanting on the other side.

The Old Language of Witches. She recognized it, having lived with Hellewise for so long. And she was not liking the chants at all.

She looked up quickly, a sharp snap of her head, as something exploded loudly from outside, causing a small rocking throughout the First House. She hesitated, craning to hear passed the tumble of rocks and pebbles and the chanting continued along with several cries and shouts. 

What the hell was going on out there?

She glanced over her shoulder to scan the hall. If she was going to go out there she was going to need a weapon because things were not going to go easy. But there was nothing in the room that was better than her Sigs. And there were witches out there. Anything would work on their human bodies. 

She had come in through the wall in between two hanging tapestries dating back to the Persian Age. Nice, she mused momentarily before turning away back to the door. But then something caught her eye, just as she began to prepare herself to storm the room. She looked back toward the tapestries and her eyes caught on a small shadow behind one of the tapestries lining the walls. She blinked and the shadow became a line, etched into the stone of the walls. Squinting, she came away from the door and tiptoed over to the tapestry, ignoring the bright light coming in though the hole she had made and lighting the soft cloth of the tapestry.

She paused to gaze at it momentarily, eyes drifting up and over the material.

It was of a man, an average looking man. He faced the side, showing his profile. And behind him was his shadow, their backs together. However the shadow formed the figure of a dragon, with long black wings and a mouth open in a furious snarl.

Had the Persians known the truth?

Shaking her head she pushed away the tapestry and looked at the rectangle etched into the wall. Only it wasn't a rectangle.

It was a door. A damn door.

She grabbed the tapestry with both hands and yanked it down roughly. It came off the wall, fluttering into her arms in a heavy pile. She set it aside absentmindedly and stared at the stone doorway before her.

Just a doorway. But leading where…

She examined it cautiously. She had never been in this room, couldn't be expected to know what lay behind the door. She raised her arms, placing her hands to the cold stone. Maybe if she pushed it, like in the movies. She set her hands against it and pushed a bit but it didn't budge. She braced herself, dipping into a stance and pushed again, applying a bit more force but it held in place. She arched an eyebrow, releasing an impatient sigh. Maybe if she pushed along one side. She leaned her shoulder against the right side and pushed a bit but nothing gave. Solid stone resisted. Then she leaned against the other side of the stone door and shoved.

It gave. And with a yelp Chime went sailing into nothingness, falling forward on something sharp and jagged. She caught a quick glance of the doorway behind her as she fell, saw the light seeping in as the stone door swung around in a three-sixty and then a quick look as the light was cut off, as the door shut with a grinding shriek.

Then she was rolling, falling down a flight of cold steps.

"Cassandra…you?" Thierry asked faintly, staggering to his feet. He wasn't sure whether it was the explosion or seeing the witch again but he was feeling just a bit dizzy. He watched the dark-haired witch circle around the row of black witches, her lips drawing up into a cold smile.

"Theorn." She said slowly, his name almost sung. "Long time no see."

He gazed at her with narrowed eyes. "Yeah."

Winnie sat up, reaching a hand out to Thea, shaking her. Thea coughed and nodded at her. Beside her, Blaise was sitting up as well.

"I must thank you. All of you." Cassandra said in a quiet voice, her tone absentminded. "I wanted to be here when Selena arrived, wanted to catch her once and for all. And all of you helped me." She beamed at them, at their group in its entirety.

Thierry took a step forward, lifting his hands as if to rest them against the wall of pulsing purple witch power. "Why?" he asked her softly, shaking his head slowly.

Cassandra looked at him, tilting her head. "Don't you ask me questions, Theorn. It's your fault I lost her to begin with."

Thierry pulled his head back in a small show of surprise.

"You and your advice." Cassandra said in a low voice and there was a malicious waver in it, a pure show of emotion. "You told her to disappear and she did. Right out from under me. I returned to find her gone!" she gestured, her long, slender arm swinging away in impatience.

Thea looked at Winnie. "Chime?" she mouthed in confusion.

Winnie nodded imperceptibly.

Cassandra was going on and now there was anger registering on her face, the pale skin of her cheeks darkening into a flushed crimson. "Do you know how long I have spent looking for her? Seventeen years. Seventeen long years…"

Thierry nodded once, slowly, to show he understood.

Cassandra shook her head, lifting her hands to her hips. "And now I finally find her again and she's as gullible as ever, damn her." She threw her hands up in the air, twirling away elegantly even in her anger. "She's a damn idiot! Doesn't feel anger, doesn't feel hate for the witches. At all! Even after everything that has happened to her because of them. There is nothing in that thick head of hers!"

"She did nothing to you." Thea said aloud and then almost raised a hand to her mouth as if surprised the sentence had somehow made it passed her lips.

Cassandra looked toward her over her shoulder, a small narrowing of her slanted eyes. "Ah. The friend." She said in a soft sigh, turning back a bit. "I should thank you above all. Maybe, just maybe, there's a chance that she'll join me now. There's only so much betrayal even an imbecile can take." She said and a soft laugh escaped her, shoulders rising with the gesture.

Thea paled. Winnie reached a hand out to her but she shook it away, looking down at her lap dumbly.

She was right, of course. Chime had been an innocent all along and now…now they were here because of her, because of her wrong. If she had believed her the entire time, never doubted her even for a second, maybe…maybe. Maybe they wouldn't be in this predicament.

Winnie stared at her sadly for a moment. Then her face darkened and she raised her head to Cassandra. "You are an evil witch." She spat coldly, blue eyes burning. "You want to take it out on someone, you take it out on me. You leave her out of this." She glared for a moment longer as Cassandra's eyes flew to meet hers and she chuckled, shaking her head. "But it's not like Chime would join you if she were here, anyway." She said in an offhand tone.

Cassandra smiled at her, the gesture making her recoil the slightest bit. There was no humor in the smile, nothing but an icy glee, one that was masked by the serenity of the witch's face. "Perhaps not." She said with a shrug to Winnie. "But you, Judas, weakened her enough for me to kill her should the need arise." She looked off to the sides, eyes narrowing as she continued. "She's here, already. Wandering around. And when she comes out I will lay the question before her."

Thierry tilted his head sharply. "What question?"

Cassandra's smile turned all the more gleeful. "The Night World needs a leader." She said crossing her slender arms across her breasts. She was a pale, beautiful creature, an elegant shadow in her flowing black gown. "I do believe Hunter is dead. I haven't heard from him since the Wild Power fried him. Maya is dead, too. She would have been the second choice. You, Thierry, were third choice but I know you are loyal to the Dawn. Which leaves no one to rule." And her smile widened. "Except me."

Thea's jaw dropped open. "And you want Chime by your side…why? She's not even full blood. You can have so many others-"

"I will have so many others." Cassandra corrected her. "But if I can't have Selena by my side I won't allow you to have her by yours. She doesn't need to prove herself to anyone anymore. Even weakened she escaped my assassins and has arrived here. I must admit, she's strong. But not exactly bright." Cassandra's eyes focused on the doors again and she frowned slightly. She was growing impatient, it seemed. "If she denies me she dies today."

Thierry glanced toward Thea who looked back at him, one arm lifted in a gesture of disbelief. He shook his head and said, "So that's it, then." he stated simply. "We wait."

Cassandra nodded. "We wait."

Thea sighed, settling onto her rear slowly.

Thierry's voice came again, quiet in tone now. "Are you the witch who isn't a witch?"

The question raised everyone's head, focusing the attention on Cassandra. 

The witch practically curtsied. She let her arms flutter down her side gracefully, smiling and if they hadn't know her true twisted nature one would have said she had a truly childishly innocent smile. "I am." She answered and she feigned woe. "Alas, my poor Azhdeha. Such great potential. Such time and energy. Power! Wasted on the Wild Power."

Thea stared at her, lips parted.

"But come." Cassandra said and once more she was breathtakingly beautiful, elegant. "We must wait for her. The time draws near."

Chime blinked, staring into brightness. She had finally managed to stop rolling down the stone staircase, having landed on a cold hard floor. She lay, stretched out on her side, before the entrance to a candle lit room. Shadows flickered wildly inside, painting large looming shapes across stone walls.

With a groan she rose to her feet and grimaced. She was so sore. She was stupid for deciding to get it all over with. She probably didn't even have a fighting chance. She staggered forward a step, coming into the room and leaning against the doorway with a weary exhalation.

It was almost like a temple. The candles, propped on top of four foot high candelabras surrounded three coffin-like stone rectangles in the center of the room. Like a shrine. And there were more tapestries and carvings, small statuettes and figurines. Gold and silver ornaments.

Her eyes widened slowly as she understood. Even from where she stood she understood what she was looking at. Whose tombs she was looking at. She floated forward another step, clutching her bandaged shoulder reflexively and reading the dragon symbols etched into the stone.

It was the Prince. The Prince's grave in the center, surrounded on either side by his brother, Damien, and his sister, Dayra. Only her whole name was Zhadayra. And according to the writing she had been put to sleep forty years after the battle of Hecate and the Dragons.

Chime remembered to breathe. On unsteady legs she came up before the Prince's coffin. And with a trembling pulse she reached out, her fingers brushing the stone. She had been expecting wards and when there was no electrical charge she admonished herself. It probably only went off when the tomb was actually opened. 

She should spring the trap, she really should. It would serve them right for stereotyping her. She should set all the dragons free, let them take over as they had so long ago.

Then she let her hand fall away from the tomb. No. Their time was over. And it was not right. The bloodshed was in the past and it deserved to stay there. There would be no second Battle.

But she wanted to see.

Placing her entire weight behind it she put her shoulder to the lid of the coffin and pushed. And then she pushed again because it didn't budge an inch. She knew she was weak but was she so weak she couldn't lift a damn lid? She paused to examine it, her jaw tightening. But it would be the same strain if she tried from a different position. So she hunched forward again, placing her good shoulder to it and she shoved again. There was a spark of satisfaction when she heard stone scrape.

She shoved once more, one long last push with all her might, all her strength. All her weight. And it moved to give her a small lit view of who lay inside.

And when she had the small view all she could do was stare. And blink numbly. Like a fool. When it hit her she recoiled, stumbling back, lips parting in shock. 

"No-"

Then she was racing around the coffin to the other side and pushing the lid back into place. She did it frantically, feeling a coldness in her chest even as sweat worked to break out on her forehead from her strain. She wanted to cover it, cover everything. Because she had been crazy to want to see the Prince, to see into his final resting place. 

And only after she had covered the coffin did she realize her lunacy. With a swallow she whirled and dashed toward the entrance, working her way up in darkness.

"Are you sure she's here?" Blaise asked lazily, picking at the dust in her wavy black hair. There was an expression of distaste on her face. "Maybe after so many years you really don't know what you're talking about-"

Thea looked at her cousin, wide-eyed, willing her to shut up. If Blaise was feeling jealous of Cassandra's beauty now was not the proper time to express it.

But Blaise was going on, "And maybe senility has caught up with you." She looked at the witch. "I mean, how old are you, anyway? Witch magic keeping away the laugh lines?"

Cassandra cast her a hooded glance and then lifted her hand, snapping her fingers.

Purple bolts of witch energy streaked out, seizing the Daybreak witch. Blaise cried out as electrical currents raced through her body, forcing her to stiffen. And with a fizz they vanished but for a moment Blaise remained in an upright position. Then she settled into silence, falling to the floor.

"Blaise-" Thea scampered over to her, lifting her limp cousin frantically and automatically searching for a pulse. It was there, strong and steady under her fingertips.

"That wasn't necessary." Thierry sighed from beside Cybele and he rose, moving toward Thea and crouching next to her to check Blaise. "She was merely asking a question-"

"A question I had no intention of answering." Cassandra cut him off simply. She turned away, shaking her head. "I don't know why I ever did you any favors, Theorn." She sighed. "When we get right down to it, you were a whiny coward. Couldn't live with yourself after killing your soulmate. Which is why you came to me." She said and then she stopped altogether, her back to them. 

Thea lifted her head to look at the witch, to see that Cassandra's head was turned in the direction of one of the doors. She was stiff, rigid.

And at the door was Chime, head bowed, eyes trained on Cassandra. Her irises flickered, almost like the lens of a camera. Then she came forward, a single step. "But that's not the reason why I went to you, Cassandra." She said quietly.

The witch settled limply. "Hello, Selena."

"Hello, Cassandra."


	21. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty:

                Chime came forward, floating. Something was wrong with the way she moved. Her face was dark, scratches decorating her pale cheeks and forehead. Her arm hung limply at her side and there was the faint shadow of a grimace as it swung slowly beside her. Her blue eyes flew to Thea, who was gazing at her with a mixture of joy and sadness. And then her eyes flew to Winnie who stared warily at the scene.

                "Selena." Cassandra said, bringing the dragon's attention back to her. She hovered forward, pausing momentarily before Chime. And then she lifted her arms and embraced the dragon, like the old friend she was.

                Chime rested her chin on Cassandra's shoulder, closing her eyes and exhaling wearily. She seemed to breathe in Cassandra's strength, her body melting against the witch's and slowly reforming a bit stronger.

                Cassandra pulled away a bit to stare the dragon in her eyes. "Selena." She said again. "I have something to ask you. Something to offer you."

                Chime gazed at her, eyes weary.

                Cassandra pointed down the hall, back the way Chime had come. "Do you see that coffin there?" she asked casually, motioning with long pointed nails.

                Chime merely looked at it, body exhaling. "What of it?" she asked quietly, studying the dragon writing. She paused when she caught sight of something, familiar symbols, but then Cassandra pulled her attention back.

                "That's where Rayne lies."

                Chime stared at it for a long moment. And she felt Thea's eyes on her. Winnie's burning gaze. But she couldn't help it, she had to stare. And she had to imagine that she could see him, standing asleep inside the tomb, waiting for her to waken him. To set him free.

                The dragon symbols caught her eyes again. She squinted, trying to decipher it but time had not been kind to the stone. Was that her name there? Written across it..?

                'Should her fingers perchance touch upon this cold stone…'

                "I can release him from the sleep spell." Cassandra was saying in her ear, sounding for all she was worth like a purring cat. "After so many years you can be with him again-"

                Chime swallowed and she could see Rayne's figure again, the dark shadow against a black background. "What would I have to do?" she asked the witch, wishing she could pull her eyes away from the stone, away from her vision of him.

                Winnie smirked, shaking her head. As if she knew there was no good in the dragon. Thea's eyes widened and then filled with tears, the crystal drops blurring her irises.

                "Join me." Cassandra said simply, one of her arms still hanging off Chime's shoulders. She motioned absentmindedly to the First House all around. "This can be yours again. He can be yours again. All you have to do.." she said and she leaned toward Chime, tilting her head seductively, "is say…yes."

                Chime turned her head to gaze the witch in her eyes. And then she nodded slowly. A thoughtful nod. But it was to herself. "You were right, Cassandra." She whispered, so low that Thea barely heard her. "All along you were right."

                Cassandra frowned delicately. "How so?"

                Chime bowed her head, nearly pressing her forehead to the witch's. "You said one of these days, someone by the name of Devlin would set me free. And it was because of that that I took the name."

                Cassandra gazed down at her. They were opposites, the dark wishing to embrace the light. And Thea realized Chime had never looked so small.

                "It was the first name that came to mind when I needed to move on." Chime was saying in a soft tone. "And you were right. You are right. Devlin will set me free. I'm going to set myself free from it all." She blinked slowly. "After this, whether I live or die, I'm going to be happy."

                Cassandra swayed back a bit, studying her with narrowing eyes. "I don't understand you, Selena."

                Chime lifted her head and gazed at the witch blankly. "I left you in the past, Cassandra." She said. And then her face darkened. Just blackened. Her eyes narrowed as well, jaw clenching. "You should have stayed there." She growled menacingly.

                Thea broke into a wide smile, reaching over and clasping Winnie's hand and clutching Blaise's unconscious form against her chest.

                Cassandra, however, was not happy. She pulled away, a sharp movement that set her hair floating around her. "Is that so?" she asked coldly, dark eyes blazing. "Well, then. Let me just say that it would have been beautiful, Selena."

                Chime arched an eyebrow. "My name is Chime." She said simply.

                And then all movement was lost because all that was seen were blurs. There was a flurry of movements and colors, bodies flying, growls and hisses rumbling in the halls. The two figures jumped at each other, defending, and landing in crouches and ready stances only to dive forward again in attack. It was a gruesome dance, blood flying and spraying the walls and pillars like wine.

                But it was Chime who reared back in pain more and more. Her blood darkened her black clothes and red-streaked bandages were visible through rips and tatters that Cassandra ripped in her shirt. She was hunching slowly, and every time she landed there was a new grimace or a darker gash along her body. Cassandra almost taunted her, smiling through the entire attack, fingers clenched into claws.

                "She's too weak." Thea whimpered, gazing at the blurs with tears slipping down her face.

                There was the sound of rustling and she looked towards Winnie to see the red-curled witch pull out a folded sheet of paper. "What is that? What are you doing?" she cried.

                Winnie smiled at her, a mischievous glance. "We're going to give Chime a fighting chance." She said simply.

                Chime slammed backward against a coffin and cried out as purple lights sparked under body. She slipped forward, nearly falling to her knees but then Cassandra was suddenly in front of her, grabbing hold of her shirt and accidentally ripping it even more. "Watch out for those wards." She said with a careless shrug. She lifted Chime slowly against her body, staring the weak dragon down. "You are nothing compared to my power, Selena You can't hurt me. Don't even bother-"

                A loud bang echoed in the hall.

                Winnie lifted her head from her paper, Thea's eyes widening further.

                Cassandra stared at Chime in surprise and Chime opened her eyes, glaring furiously. The witch staggered backward, releasing the dragon and she lifted her hand to a blood stain darkening the black of her gown. She looked down in disbelief, first at her stomach and then to the Sig in Chime's hand.

                Chime straightened slowly, fighting to keep from hunching her shoulders.

                Cassandra stared for another moment and then suddenly through her head back and laughed. The shriek of humor sent ripples of dread though Chime and she hesitated uncertainly.

                Cassandra lowered her head and her eyes were gone. Her eyeballs were solid black, shining with an inner light, reflecting the sunlight. "Did you really think a gun could hurt me?"

                Chime swallowed and winced, trying to ignore the blood that ran from her body. But she felt it. She felt it as it seeped out of her gashes and ran warmly along her frame. She opened and her eyes and now she was seeing double, Cassandra's body and a second image superimposed over it.

                She was going to faint.

                But she looked down, reaching for her second Sig. "How about two?" she asked quietly and she pulled the second out, throwing herself aside. She didn't need to see to hit. She would let her instincts tell her where to fire.

                Gunshots rang out in the First House, echoing in the silence. But Thea was shrieking now, shouting unintelligible sentences.

                And Chime was aware of nothing but movement. She was aware that Cassandra dodged nearly every single bullet headed her way and those that did hit her only served to slow her down.

                She could have continued to shoot. She could have wasted every single clip she had strapped to her belt. But then Cassandra stopped defending. She was just suddenly in front of her, her hand clamping down on Chime's neck with a crushing grip and she hauled the dragon off her feet, shoving her up into the air. 

                Chime choked for all of a second. Then a single burst of dark witch magic tore from the witch's palm, burning her throat and she was flung backwards, thrown into a pillar. The Sigs flew in separate directions and Chime fell to the floor, collapsing in a heap. 

                Thea stared, making small noises, almost whimpering in fear. "She's dead. Oh, Goddess, I think she's dead." She said, clutching Blaise tightly.

                Beside her Winnie lifted her hand. "Not if I have anything to say about it." She said coldly and she closed her hand into a fist.

                Mist began to rise from Chime's figure strewn across the floor, billowing out in puffs. It filtered out slowly as Cassandra came forward with a frown. And then the smoke vanished into the air, gone as quickly as it had begun.

                "What was that?" Thierry asked, studying Chime and Cassandra intently.

                "The sleep spell. I took it off her." Winnie said faintly, and she leaned forward, willing Chime to get up.

                Cassandra paused before Chime warily, watching the dragon's still form on the floor. Then in a sudden movement she bent forward, hefting the unconscious body up. "Go give your soulmate a kiss for me." She whispered against Chime's ear, her cheek pressed to Chime's. "A nice…big…kiss!" and she spun elegantly, flinging Chime as if she weighed nothing more than a pillow.

                Chime slammed into the stone tomb, her arms catching around it. And purple sparks fizzed with the contact, forcing her to pull away. She bounced off, slipping to the floor and rolling onto her side.

                Cassandra smiled, glancing toward Thea and Winnie. "I think it's time I ended it, don't you?" she asked and her attention was brought back to Chime as the dragon moved slightly, drawing in her knees. "She's been through enough-"

                A low growl came from Chime's direction, low at first and then working into a powerful rumble. It echoed, seeming a bit muffled somehow.

                And then black power exploded outward, a brief flash from Chime's body. It was like smoke also, swirling up as if she were on fire. She moved again, rolling along her thigh.

                "Up for another round?" Cassandra asked and her smile faded away as a second burst ripped from Chime. The growl was becoming louder, echoing about and it was still muffled as if something was blocking Chime from coming through clear.

                The dragon lifted her head slowly. "Yeah, sure. Another round…" she sighed wearily, "Why not?" And she sat up, struggling to get to her feet. She inhaled and realized the more she breathed the clearer her surroundings became, the better she could hear. She could hear the sparks of the witch wards holding in the witches and Thierry. The sound of dust and pebbles falling. The sound of the stones scraping all around. 

                That was not good. She looked up at the ceiling and heard creaking. And a growl. A long, distant growl echoing around her. She frowned, hesitating. And everyone's eyes were on her. But the growl wasn't coming from her. 

                "What is this? Cassandra demanded as Chime rose to her feet, straightening at last.

                "This," Winnie called, holding up her piece of paper, "is the spell to revive dragons!" she shouted and she was jubilant, face beaming.

                "And this," Chime said with another gentle burst of black power, "is your day of reckoning."

                Cassandra took a step back, eyes flying around the room.

                And it was at that moment the lid of Rayne's coffin crashed to the floor.


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty One:

                Selena Chimes whirled around at the sound of stone crashing against marble floor. And even as she was turning, even as she was spinning, she felt a strange sensation. She was light headed and lost, not exactly rooted in her spot. But it couldn't be. What she heard couldn't be right because it would mean…it would mean…

                A dark figure came from the coffin. He was a shadow, cloaked in his darkness, a heavy blackness that surrounded him like night. He took a step forward from the coffin and then he fell. Floating down onto weak knees, his head hanging weakly. A cloak fell from his shoulders, surrounding him almost lovingly along the floor. And it bore the First House insignia.

                The vision was eerily familiar.

                Chime blinked. And blinked again. And then she swallowed because for some reason her hearing was muffled. Sounded like a waterfall crashing close to her ears. A loud white noise. And her vision was playing tricks too because that couldn't be who she thought it was. It wasn't possible.

                It wasn't possible, damn it!

                A cold shiver raced down her spine, freezing her in place so stiffly she knew it would hurt if she even breathed deeply. Her eyes were stuck to the figure resting on the floor, drawn like a magnet to the lean shoulders rising and falling with every shallow breath he took. To the slender hand that lifted and brushed away glossy black hair. And she took a staggering step, reached out unconsciously with her own hand because she wanted to touch those strands of fine black hair, wanted to know what they felt like slipping through her fingers. She wanted to know.

                And then he spoke. "What the…" he murmured under his breath and she came to a dead stop.

                His voice hung around her, surrounded her. And it echoed, she heard it echo deep inside and she closed her eyes as it lodged itself into her bones. She had never forgotten his voice. Never. But in the years that had passed she realized that the only time she had heard his voice perfectly was in her dreams. Come morning it left her and she was left alone with the old world surrounding her. 

                And now. Now she heard it and she was awake and she couldn't fight the tears that sprang to her eyes. They overflowed, as if years and years of holding back sorrowful tears had caused them to amount and now they broke through and rolled down her cheeks, soaking her skin.

                It felt blissfully new.

                Thea stared at the young man on his knees, eyes wide. It was him. Rayne Endymion. Awake. Before her and no longer a dream or vision. He was flesh and blood. And dragon magic.

                Chime opened her eyes, lips parting as she tasted her tears. And then his eyes lifted and she was rushed by beautiful memories. Visions of amber soaps and candles swarmed her mind but they had done him no justice. Never had they come close to what she saw now. And she saw honey, rich and amber, thick and inviting. A sea of golden brown that she knew would be hot if she immersed herself in it. Slanted eyes, surrounded by thick lashes, such long beautiful youthful eyes.

                "Selena?" he asked, those wonderful amber eyes narrowed with sleep.

                She felt herself nod slowly, mouth drawing into a tight line. And her legs barely listened as she commanded herself to take a step. One step to bring her closer to him, within arms reach. She couldn't take the distance anymore, not anymore.

                He stared back at her as she came close, hands palm up on his knees. He looked so young. Lost. She wanted to tuck him away in her pocket and protect him. And she embraced the urge because it took her back through time, passed the few weeks, back to a time when his was the face she had depended on to live through the day.

                He closed his eyes, bowing his head. "Why do I feel so weak?" he asked against his chest and he closed his hands into fists. Black smoke began to life from his body, emanating from every pore of his body. And the growl, the strange growl. It came from him. His voice was quiet, as gentle as it had always been but there was an edge there, a weakness in its depths.

                Chime knew what he was doing. She had done it herself only moments before. Using the black energy to revive sore or sleeping muscles, or to speed along recovery. Forcing strength into a weary body. He did it now, waking himself slowly, gently.

                She took another step reluctantly, her hand still outstretched toward him.

                Please let me touch you…

                And then something happened. Too many things happened at once. Cassandra was moving in her peripheral vision, she realized it hazily because she couldn't take her eyes away from Rayne. And then Thea's voice broke through the din of white noise, crying shrilly, "Chime! Cassandra!" The cry even made Rayne look. Amber eyes narrowing as he frowned toward the Harman. 

Cassandra's face had gone dark. Chime saw it when she whirled to look at her. And her arm was rising, glowing a brilliant purple.

                It was all too fast, much too fast. Cassandra's arm was up and she was pointing a slender hand toward Rayne, deadly intent on her face, marring her perfect beauty. Rayne was only then turning his face up to look toward Cassandra and his amber eyes narrowed all the more, confusion written clear across his lovely face.

                And she couldn't stand it. She didn't want it this way. She wasn't going to allow it to unfold like this. 

                A scream broke from her throat, ripping painfully. She was throwing herself forward instinctively, no longer caring whether she survived because she had gotten her chance. She reveled in her freedom of movement, thanked the Goddess she had gotten one last chance to use it before dying. And then she was before Rayne, whirling away from him as he lifted surprised amber eyes to her and she threw her arms up.

                "Chime!"

                She didn't know who called it. A moment later she couldn't have cared less. She caught a glance of purple energy and the glance turned into a slow moment of light. It took up all the space, blocked everything else from view. Then the pain came, a brief jolt along her stomach and that was overwhelmed by a sudden force gripping her. She was flung backward, she saw her surroundings swirling around her, and she was swatted down like an insect. Her body slammed against a hard but yielding surface and then she finally hit the floor.

                Thea scrambled to her feet, lifting away from Blaise. Chime was down, she could see the limp body sprawled across Rayne's long frame and she was mad. Never had she been so mad. Not since she had put away that damned ghost and stopped her fits of murder. She clenched her fists and felt her witch power flare up and damn it all if it didn't feel good to release energy. "Let me out!" she shouted and she swung her fists, the bright light streaking out and striking the wall of purple witch magic. "Let…me…out!"

                Cassandra looked toward her, eyes dark and moist with fury.

                Rayne sat up a bit, cradling Chime's figure in his arms. For a moment he didn't look like he could speak and Thea looked at him, holding back for a second as he merely stared at Chime's limp form. "Chime…" he whispered, as soft as a breath of air. "Chime..?"

                Cassandra turned her head to glower at him.

                And he shook Chime, his hands closing around her shoulders from behind. He hesitated, staring at the material of her jacket and he gazed at her face from above, black hair hanging in glossy locks about his forehead. "Chime…"

                It seemed to be all he could say. His lips were parted as if he wanted to say more but then he wrapped his arms around her limp shoulders and lowered his head against her shoulder, his lips pressed to the nape of her neck, outside along her leather jacket.

                Thea swallowed, muscles tense. "Is she dead?" she asked quietly, her voice firm. She stared at Rayne and he didn't respond, his head bowed along Chime's. Thea turned her glare on Cassandra. "Damn it, you bitch! Is she dead?" she demanded.

                The witch exhaled. "I hope so." She said wearily.

                Rayne's amber eyes came open, the irises shimmering, and he turned his head slowly, ever so slowly, to focus a burning glare at Cassandra.

                Chime's eyes came open, her face streaked with tears. She coughed, stiffening in Rayne's arms and sucked in a deep breath wincing. Her arm came up to clutch at her stomach and she coughed again, breathing hoarsely. 

                "She's alive." Winnie breathed.

                Chime's head fell to the side along Rayne's shoulder. She blinked painfully and her gaze came to rest on his tomb lid. She remembered reading her name. It had been her name. Why had it been written across his tomb?

                She reached out weakly, forcing her arm to move along the floor until her fingers touched the lid of the tomb. Rayne shifted under her, grip tight and she stretched painfully, grimacing. Her fingers caused the lid to rock on its rounded face and she lifted it weakly, her sleepy eyes skimming the dragon writing.

                "…a great wrong committed on the day of battle between Great Witch Mother Hecate and the dragon people…" she read, whispering to herself, gasping as scorching agony raced through her body.

                "Chime." Rayne said against her ear, his breath warm.

                "Wait…wait…" she said softly, squinting to read, to correct her blurry vision. "'For my friend, Selena, who was on this day, wronged by the witches. Should her fingers perchance touch upon this cold stone, the Eternal Slumber will fall away to reunite and spark the Power of the Soulmates.'"

                She stopped reading, lips parted in disbelief.

                Hellewise. Hellewise had done this.

                "Rayne!" Thea shouted and he looked at her automatically. She stared back, brown eyes angry. "Let us out! We can help you but you have to let us out!"

                Cassandra floated forward, looking down upon him and Chime with an arched eyebrow.

                "Stay back." He growled at her, face dark, his arms clutching Chime tightly.

                "You are weak, dragon." She said quietly. "You can do nothing to hurt me. But I have the power to heal her." She added, motioning to Chime.

                "I can rip you apart." He retorted, eyes hooded. "You may have the power to heal but you wield the power to harm." He shook his head slowly, black locks curling around his eyes. "I don't trust in it. Nor in you."

                Chime's hand suddenly caught his wrist tightly and he looked down at her.

                She seemed sleepy, tears shimmering in her eyes. "You're too weak to fight." She said softly, shaking her head wearily. "You just woke up. It's between her and myself. I will face her."

                "No!" Thea shouted, hands clenched tightly. She took a step forward but Thierry reached out, hauling her back just as she nearly stepped into the purple wards. She struggled against the Night lord, freeing herself from him. "She plays dirty, Rayne! Don't let her fight anymore!"

                Chime was still looking at him when he turned his attention back to her. There was a tender expression on her peaceful face and it tore his heart in two. Her lips parted and she laughed quietly, almost lifting a hand to his face. "I missed you…"

                He shook his head at her in wordless confusion.

                But she was pushing him away, rising into a sitting position and leaning against him weakly.

                "Don't let her fight!" Thea shouted again.

                "It's my fight." Chime said to her, shoulders hunched as she inhaled. "I started this. I can end it." She pulled away from Rayne a bit, rolling onto her knees. Black power misted from her body before suddenly bursting powerfully, one small explosion of darkness. Her muscles slowly began to close over, her skin healing, dragon blood pounding in her ears.

                Rayne let her go uncertainly, fingers falling away from her shoulders.

                "Are we to end it then, Selena?" Cassandra asked, watching the dragon rise onto wobbly legs.

                Chime looked at her. "Just you and me, Cassandra. Hit me with whatever you've got." She growled and she tried to steady herself. She was hunched over her wound and she couldn't straighten fully. Not just yet. But she looked out from under her curtain of blond hair, her blue eyes darkening.

                Cassandra's face shifted at the last moment, a smile curling her lips. "All right, Selena." She said with a regal nod. "This is for all the trouble you've given me the last twenty years. This is for all you could've been…but won't be." Something glistened in her hand, bursting out from her fist and she spread her fingers, clawing them around an orb of pulsing purple light.

                Chime stared at her outstretched hand warily. Then she raised her gaze and lifted her own hand, opening a fist. An identical orb of black dragon power swirled to life, hovering in her palm. Colors danced across its surface, spraying light along the walls and pillars of the First house.

                Cassandra nodded once. "This is for the life I will have once you are out of it." She said quietly.

                Chime bowed her head wearily, forcing more strength into the ball of energy spinning in her palm.

                "You," Cassandra uttered slowly, and then her face morphed. Anger swept through it, leaving behind a mask of ugliness that only evil could appreciate, "And your soulmate!"

                She threw up her hand and purple bolts of magic streaked out, forking through the air like natural lightning. Almost as beautiful as the magic Great Witch Mother Hecate had called.

                The purple magic streaked passed Chime, causing her to cringe reflexively and then from behind her Rayne cried out. She whirled and the purple light was enveloping him. It almost seemed gentle. Soothing. Then he slammed backward onto the marble floors and he slid into a coffin, falling away as witch wards shoved away his offensive form.

                Chime took a step in his direction and time slowed.

                'Darling…'

                He lay still across the floor, along his back, the front of his Royal House uniform burnt and charred. He hadn't been wearing armor that day so long ago and he wasn't wearing it now.

                'Has no one ever read your mind? Listened to your thoughts?'

                Bright red blood dripped to the floor around him, a pool widening, stretching out under his prone form, staining his cloak.

                'Is that sarcasm I detect in your beautiful voice?'

                Someone was screaming, forcing his voice to become muffled as it played in her mind. She pushed the sound down, pushed it away to hear him better.

                'You came.'

                Of course she would have gone. She would have gone to the ends of the Earth. She would have done anything for him, anything he had asked. And that was Rayne. He never asked because he knew, in due time, he would receive.

                His arms were splayed out, fingers curled, and his face was turned away. All she could see was the hard line of his jaw. And the glossy black hair, always wild, along his temples.

                'Selena.'

                Her name whispered by him. Always his voice. Amber-colored if she could see it. Thick. Warm.

                A shiver raced down her spine. It was a warning. And she allowed it to guide her, to control her body because her mind was far away, in a different time.

                'A creature!'

                She whirled, the world around her a dizzying blur of color and light. Something was headed her way and someone was screaming but she didn't understand what was being said.

                'Would you sacrifice me to save your prince?'

                Her hand circled up over her head and came down, the black orb twirling in her palm. She pointed it out and black rays broke out, streaking out in perfect beams. It reached toward the floor, toward the ceiling and it smashed as it flew, almost like a spider skittering across the surfaces. The bright light hurtling towards her smashed against the solid block of the dark beams, striking it with a resounding thump. The powers clashed, sparks sizzling upon contact.

                'Answer me!'

                She stared at the energy blankly, remembering her pain and her sorrow that day. She had needed to know. Wanted to know. And what else could she have expected?

                The energy coming from her suddenly strengthened, flared with her emotion and Cassandra's magic was thrust back upon her. The dark witch shrieked, throwing her hands up to protect herself and then she was flying backward, smashing into the far wall with a muffled yelp.

                Chime lowered her hand slowly. She wasn't paying attention, wasn't in control. It was her body and her emotions were ruling it because she wasn't there to lead anything. She saw Cassandra leaning against the far wall weakly, was aware that she had her hands out at her sides, holding her up. The witch's knees trembled, and were buckling.

                'Would you sacrifice me?'

                She questioned him once more. Questioned herself. Where had she gone wrong? Or had she always been wrong?

                She moved automatically as Cassandra tried to lift herself away from the wall. She bent, hands going for her boots and she caught hold of her pocket knives, one in each hand. No more chances. No more caring. She straightened in one fluid movement, launching the knives.

                Cassandra screamed as one knife tore through her right hand, trapping it to the wall. And then the other ripped into her left and her body was spread-eagled. Her wide eyes flew from her pinned hands to Chime, face paling.

                'Yes. Yes, I would.' Rayne said in a ghost of a whisper.

                Chime gazed at the frightened witch, tears stinging her eyes. He would sacrifice me, Cassandra. But I could never sacrifice him…

                A sob threatened to burst from her throat. Instead she lifted her arms, tilting her head far back. She saw the cracked ceiling, felt the sunlight. And she screamed, a pure sorrowful wail that echoed in the halls, breaking the serenity and signaling the storm.

                The world exploded in darkness.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty Two:

                Thea opened her eyes, blinking in surprise. She slowly rolled over onto her rear and looked about cautiously. Thierry was stirring not too far away, Nissa shaking Winnie. The four dark witches were unconscious, spread apart, and there was no sign of their barrier.

                The wall where Cassandra had been pinned was gone, a large hole in its place looking into another room. Bone peeked out from the rubble, Chime's two knives shining in the misty sunlight. The opposite wall was gone, too, the wall behind Rayne's tomb. And there was another room there.

                "Chime?" she called shakily, scanning the hall. She was almost sure she heard remnants of Chime's shriek echoing in the hall.

                Overhead, rock fell, dust floating in puffs. Thea stared at the ceiling, studying it critically. The whole side wall had been blown away, sunlight peeking in. And pebbles continued to clatter, rolling about.

                The First House had been weakened.

                "Chime!" Thea shouted, rising uncertainly. Then she whirled back around as realization struck her. "Damn it! Blaise! Blaise?" and she began to push rocks aside, looking for her cousin. She had been hurt before the wall had exploded. Thea dreaded what she would find.

                "I got her. I got her." Thierry called over, pushing aside rock and grabbing hold of a struggling hand. He wrapped all his fingers around the flailing hand and wrist and then he pulled roughly.

                Blaise came out coughing, shoving rock aside to crawl free.

                Thea sighed in relief. "Is she ok? What about Winnie? Nissa?" she whirled, catching sight of the red-curled witch and continuing on as the witch gave her a thumbs up sign. "Mother Cybele?"

                "Right here." Cybele called, staggering forward from the back of the room. "Quite a punch that dragon packed."

                Thea spun back around, stumbling over pebbles. She scanned the hallway of coffins. "Chime!"

                Her voice echoed rather eerily in the silence and no one answered her. She looked toward the spot Rayne had fallen and there was a large landslide of stone there.

                Something creaked and rumbled all around.

                Thea looked about again but staggered toward the landslide. "He's under there, you guys. We have to get him out. Chime might be there, too-" she looked over her shoulder as she pleaded.

                And relief swept through her as Thierry and Winnie moved to follow, Nissa rising also.

                She dropped to her knees before the pile and began to dig frantically, scraping her fingers and hands as she pulled at stone. "They might not have air, we have to-"

                "It isn't necessary." A masculine voice said from below her and as she recoiled the rocks slid away and a hand broke out. The debris fell as a figure rose out of it, cradling another form closely.

                "Rayne?" Thea asked hoarsely, wide brown eyes raised to stare at the figure before her.

                The amber eyes gazed back, face grimy and all the more beautiful. He took a step to balance himself and pulled on the person he held, lifting the figure carefully. A hole gaped from his uniform, the skin healed under.

                "Is it Chime?" Thea asked him but the question fell away as the figure groaned, small hands clutching at Rayne. The hair was blond and thick with dirt, a fine layer of dust on her cheeks and forehead.

                "Come on, love." Rayne said quietly, holding her up against himself and lifting her arm to wrap it around his neck. "Easy…"

                The First House rumbled once more.

                "Uh, we don't have time to go easy here." Winnie coughed, stumbling up beside Thea, eyes raised to the ceiling. "This place is going to go."

                "I feel…weak." Selena whispered, head resting against Rayne's collar. "Worse than before…with the spell…I feel like I used up everything…"

                Rayne stumbled down the pile with her and merely looked at Thea blankly as she came up on the other side of Chime to support her. Then he looked down at Chime, eyes narrowing as he smiled, and he kissed her forehead tenderly. "Trust me, Chime. I think you did use everything you had."

                A warm spark seared her skin from their contact. It was almost painful, the extreme heat branding her from the slight contact.

                Soulmate.

                She looked to her other side and gazed into the wise brown eyes that resembled Hellewise's eyes. "Thea." She said quietly and the name sounded right. Hellewise no longer existed, no longer lived. But she had done right. At last.

                "Come on." Nissa said and she grabbed Mother Cybele's elbow, propelling her along. She headed for the front double doors and shoved them open roughly.

                The section of the ceiling over the doors crashed down.

                Winnie shouted in alarm, Thea's jaw dropping open. And then the rest of the ceiling was raining down over them in chunks and pieces. Thierry ducked his head, shoving Blaise down under him and Winnie backed away from the front doors, still screaming. "Nissa!"

                "The ceilings are weak!" Rayne shouted and he pushed Thea aside, lifting Chime into his arms almost impatiently. "We can't stay! We have to get out!" and he hopped forward, over the remaining pile, and began to move toward the hole where Cassandra had been suspended.

                "What about Nissa and Mother Cybele?" Winnie yelled toward him, ducking a sharp stone as it clattered down. She rose a bit, looking up. And then she stopped altogether.

                The pillars were falling, deteriorating. And taking the walls and the rest of the ceiling with it. "Oh, Goddess." She uttered, staring in growing horror.

                "Come on!" Rayne ordered from the gaping hole. He backed away, whirling and placing his back against a pillar as it crashed to the floor with a deafening sound. He looked toward them over his shoulder, eyes narrowed against the dust, and the amber of his eyes seemed to glow for a moment.

                "We have to get Nissa and Mother Cybele-" Thea shouted at him, hunched a bit against the pebbles and stones falling around her.

                And then Nissa came up behind Rayne, motioning to the group frantically. "Mother Cybele is outside! There's another door through this way! Come on!"

                Chime stirred, seeing everything in blurry vision. The witches were heading their way, hopping over fallen pillars and pieces of wall and ceiling. Thea was with them, pulling on Blaise and Thierry was carrying two bodies over his shoulders. Nissa was racing toward Winnie and then they had the remaining two dark witches with them, dragging their unconscious bodies toward the exit.

                She looked up, feeling a wonderful warmth and she realized that Rayne was holding her, glancing about with a reflexive quickness.

                And then he was moving, lithe muscles carrying him, and he was taking her with him effortlessly.

                "Where are we going?" she asked as the room flew by her. She remembered that this was the room that Dayra had been taken from. She could still see the fury on the Prince's face. Felt the tingle of crackling witch magic.

                "Out of here." Rayne answered her, ducking out another door. He stood in the front halls, a pile of rock blocking his view back into the original room. He began to move toward the front doors once he saw the witches keeping up.

                "Go! Go!" Thierry shouted, his hand coming down on Rayne's shoulder.

                Thea and Blaise squirmed passed and threw themselves upon the doors, shoving them open.

                Chime pressed her cheek against Rayne's chest, her cheek coming into contact with his bare skin through the singed uniform. The spark felt so warm, blazing, and it brought on the warm hue of pink. She felt as if a poker had been pressed against her cheek and it was a sensation that bordered along the line between pleasure and pain. 

                We can make it. We can get out of here. The both of us. All of us.

                Rayne hunched forward, heading for the doors, carrying her. He was like the wind, he felt like it. It was almost like running through the cool night, feeling the breeze flow through her hair, the soft night air brushing her cheeks. Only she wasted no effort. Almost like flying.

                Please don't remember the Prince. Please, just get out. Get out and come with me.

                She begged, pleading with the Goddess to allow them to escape.

                Rayne came to such a dead halt Chime could almost swear she heard tires shriek. She looked up at him and his eyes were lowering, pulling away from the path ahead to gaze down at her, stricken. "Please don't what?" he asked hoarsely.

                Chime stared back at him, stiff.

                He swallowed and then his expression closed over. "Where is he?" he asked her and his voice was cold. Unfriendly.

                Chime could only stare, thinking furiously. He had heard her. He had heard her thoughts.

                "Where is he?" he demanded again and his face didn't register anything when another pillar came down with a loud crash behind them.

                "Rayne! Come on!" Thea shouted from the doors, waiting for them. The other witches were outside, black figures against bright sunlight.

                Chime shook her head. "No, Rayne. No." she whispered up into his hard face. "Please don't."

                The arm wrapped around her shoulder shifted down a bit and his hand caught her cold, bare fingers. The scorching heat between them erupted from the contact, momentarily blinding Chime with brilliant color. She shook away from the contact, avoided showing him anything but he was already inside, a black figure in the bright landscape that was their bond. He flew forward, growling, enveloping her in his blackness and digging into her mind from the outside in.

                She was screaming, she realized. Shouting and fighting mentally from being overwhelmed. But his essence was like oil, a shimmering darkness that slipped through barriers, that covered any light that may have been there.

                And then he was seizing her memories, was there with her as she looked at the coffins of the Prince and his family. He followed her as she moved forward and tried to open the coffins.

                Without warning he suddenly pulled away. Away from the coffins. Away from the memory. Away from their link.

                Her vision came into dizzying color once more as he pulled his hands away. And he lowered her to the floor as he reached Thea, shoving Chime into the blond witch.

                "Get her out of here." He ordered and he whirled, heading back into the weakened First House.

                Chime pushed at Thea as the witch moved to embrace her. "Rayne, no…No! Rayne!" she shouted. She took a step after him and her legs melted under her.

                "Chime, c'mon. C'mon!" Thea said, pulling frantically.

                Chime shook her head as he disappeared back into the rooms. "I know where he's going…I know…but he doesn't! He doesn't know!" she freed one hand, looking at the blond witch with a glare that could melt ice. "Let go of me, Thea! Let go!"

                "Chime!" Thea shouted, anger beginning to redden her face.

                Winnie came up behind Thea, panic written on her face. She looked at the stone ceiling and the remaining pillars that threatened to fall. "You guys-"

                Chime looked at the witches standing outside the First House, at the two vampires with them. And when she whirled back around she knew she wasn't going to be seeing Rayne's figure.

                "Stop it, Chime! Let's go!" Thea pulled once more, roughly.

                She stumbled to her feet, finally following. "All right. All right." She whispered to herself reluctantly. "He'll make it. He can make it." She floated as Thea's grip on her loosened a bit. "He's full dragon. He can survive it."

                Thea began to nod. "Yeah, Chime. Come on-"

                And Chime chose that moment to pull free at last, shoving Thea into Winnie. Without a word she spun and ran on wobbly legs, racing back into the darkness of the First House.

                Thea shouted from behind, calling for her.

                But she couldn't go back. She could only go forward. And if Rayne wasn't there with her she didn't want to be there either. That included the future. She ignored Thea's dimming cries, ignored the devastation all around. She shut her eyes to it, shut her mind to the danger. The path Rayne had taken was littered with rubble and debris. But she didn't need signs to point the way. She knew where she was going. Where she would find him.

                She had made it back into the room where she had killed Cassandra when the remaining pillars fell. And all she saw was flash of white stone, then pain, a blood red streak before her eyes. And finally a blessed darkness.

                He knew something was wrong. Very, very wrong. And different. Everything was different. Something had woken him back there and he didn't know what but his weakness was not comforting. 

                Rayne Endymion hopped down the remaining steps of the stone staircase and skid to a stop as he saw the three coffins.

                He was here again, this time without hanging over Selena's shoulder. A groan from above told him he had to hurry. He raced forward, cloak floating behind his frame and he circled the center coffin.

                Kinshiro Rayden.

                "Kin." He whispered and he touched the coffin cautiously, a quick darting movement.

                When nothing shocked him or stunned him he bent, put his shoulder to the lid and pushed. "Come on, Kin. Help me out here." He said through clenched teeth. 

                The lid slipped away with a shrieking scrape and he looked into the coffin expectantly.

                He was not, however, expecting it to be empty.

                For a moment he stood there, struck dumb. The coffin was empty. He knew from Chime's memories that this was to be Kinshiro's coffin, that he should have been resting inside, asleep. But he wasn't. He wasn't there.

                Pure anger flooded his body. Like lightning streaking up his figure, as if he were the rod attracting it. With a furious growl that rumbled in the room he grabbed hold of the lid and tossed it with superhuman strength, flung it across the room. The shattering of stone across the far wall did nothing to calm him. He whirled to the coffin behind him, Zhadayra's coffin, and he shoved that lid a bit to discover the coffin empty.

                He only had to touch Damien's coffin to know it was empty.

                And as the ceiling slowly began to crack he found himself wanting to slip to the floor and cry in helplessness. He felt wounded and somehow lost. Just lost. Didn't know what to do, or where to look to find him.

                'Chime…why didn't you tell me?'

                He ran a hand over his eyes, down his face. Nothing made sense in the least. This didn't match the scene that had been taking place before he had lost consciousness. What had happened?

                A deafening rumble from above suddenly told him something else was about to go wrong. Pain, not his own, flashed down his spine and he looked toward the ceiling, wide-eyed. "Selena." He whispered. And he whirled to race back toward the staircase. "Selena!"

                "Any second now they are going to come out of there. Both of them." Winnie was saying aloud, as if to convince herself. She looked at Thea and nodded, even throwing in a wink. "Trust me. Any second now…"

                Blaise came up behind her cousin, squinting at the First House. "How badly hurt was Chime?"

                Thea swallowed, arms wrapped around herself. "Pretty bad, Blaise. She was weak. She used it all on Cassandra." She said shakily. "Rayne might make it but if Chime is alone…" she glanced at her cousin and shook her head slowly.

                Thierry had his hands on his hips, his hair blowing in the sandy wind of the ruins of Persepolis. "She'll make it. She has to. She didn't spend all those years looking for him to fail now that she has-"

                A deep rumbling stopped him cold. All eyes flew toward the First House and for a moment the House seemed to tremble. Then the pillars outside were falling, one after the other, the walls following.

                And the rest was silence. 


	24. Epilogue

Epilogue:

                Selena was dead. As was her soulmate, Rayne Endymion. At last the myth had come true. Selene and Endymion were together in peace. They were no longer suffering. They were happy.

                But if they were so happy why did she feel so sad?

                Thea stared at the amber candle on her bedside table and the light of the flame shown on a lonely tear that had trailed down her face. Had Selena spent countless nights like she did now, staring at the flickering flame? Or a bottle of brandy? Listening to wind chimes tinkle?

                Thierry had said that he had found both their bodies days later, when he had gone back with a team to pull out the remains. Selena's back had been crushed and Rayne's body had been found not too far away, his head cracked open by a stone. It hadn't been pretty, he had said, and he hadn't allowed her to see the scene.

                But it was over. She had seen the graves. Side by side. She had placed twin roses on them. And she had walked away.

                Blaise was worried. She never showed much in emotion but it was there, in the hooded gray of her eyes. And Winnie was worried, too. It was because she hadn't broken down yet. They were ever watchful of her and they would both be there to comfort her if she did decide one day to mourn.

                The candle flame flickered, amber drops of wax trailing down the length of the clear orange candle.

                How long had it been since she had slept? She needed to sleep. Her body was weak. Her mind was numb from all the emotions she had experienced that day.

                And she wanted to see Selena in her dreams.

                She watched them climb up the cliff, both of them, dragon horns trailing down the backs of their necks. The smaller one had blond hair, long and lustrous, floating dreamily in the soft breeze. She was dressed in a flowing gown, silk and light, blowing around her slender frame. And he was tall, dark and beautiful, looming beside her like a shadow. He wore all black, a heavy cloak hanging from his lean shoulders. And he carried a box in his arms.

                The woman stopped at the edge of the cliff, hesitating. And all she did was cast her eyes on the sea far below. She slowly lifted her arms, spreading them, and she inhaled the gentle breath of air sweeping across the cliff side.

                The man stopped a few feet behind her, setting the box down slowly.

                The woman turned to him, lifting her head to look up into his eyes as he stood to his full height once more. They were lovely together, perhaps a princess and her dark guardian. The corners of her lips tilted up, her hand rising to run the backs of her fingers across his cheekbone.

                The man caught her hand, kissing her palm tenderly. And then he released her hand to bend to the box and open it.

                She came forward. She was intruding, she knew she was. But the couple was familiar. She knew them from somewhere, from some time long ago. Or perhaps a time yet to come.

                The man took something out of the box, lifting it to her. She took it into her hands and gazed at it. Something a clear amber, a slight weight in her hands.

                She came up beside the woman quietly and looked at the object held in the slender fingers.

                A stone. A stone of amber fastened to a chain. That's all it was. She lifted her eyes to the woman's face, frowning. Why had amber been so important to her? She knew it had been but she couldn't remember exactly why. The answer was so far away. A dream away.

                The woman suddenly closed her fingers around the stone tightly. She looked out over the sea momentarily. And then she drew her hand back and flung the stone.

                Together, all three of them watched it vanish into the deep blue waters.

                And then the man was pulling something else out, handing it to her. The woman looked at it and, hovering like a ghost beside her, she was surprised to see tears in the woman's eyes.

                It was a bar. A bar of amber. Soap. And the woman did away with it as well, flinging it out to sea.

                More objects came, so many in all. More bars of amber soaps. Bottles of amber gels. Amber candles. All meeting their end in the cold waters. She watched the woman, eyed her as she slowly learned to stop looking at the objects, learned to just throw them away. Shut her eyes to the past. With every object she hurled, the faster she did it, the faster she moved to take another. The more breathless she became. Her shoulders began to heave, her breath in gasps, and she continued to fling them, tossing them away.

                One last object came into her hands. A long bottle of amber liquid. She pulled her arm back to throw it but suddenly hesitated, twisting her head back to look at the object clasped in her hand.

                She watched her, the woman's ghostly spectator.

                The woman lowered her hand, breathing in ragged gasps. Her blue eyes were locked on the bottle, trained on it fearfully. She jiggled the liquid, stared at it as it splashed.

                Let it go, she willed the woman. She reached out to touch her bare, slender shoulder.

                And with a cry the woman pulled her arm back and flung the bottle. Her voice echoed across the sea, the bottle of amber liquid chasing after it on its fatal course.

                She gazed out to sea, a smile lifting the corners of her lips. And then she looked at the woman because she suddenly remembered who she was, why she was so familiar.

                Selena Chimes' face was strained.

                She frowned slowly, turning a bit to gaze at her friend.

                Selena's lips trembled for a moment, a small gesture that she was going to break and then her face crumbled and she lifted her hands to her face as a wounded sob broke from her throat. Another followed and another still until the all became one long weeping spell, tears slipping through her stiff fingers.

                The man came forward, face tender in sadness and his hand lifted, tangling in her hair.

                Rayne Endymion. With the amber eyes.

                Selena turned into him, crying sobs that threatened to rip her body into pieces. Her fingers caught on his cloak, gripped forcefully, and she melted into him, allowing him to hide her away in the cloak. He did so, enveloping her in the blackness lovingly and his amber eyes lifted to gaze out at the sea.

                Thea sat up in bed with a gasp. She blinked, wide-eyed, at the moonlight spilling into her room and then at the amber candle still flickering beside her. The candle flame danced, the shadows jumping and darting all around, the darkness threatening.

                Darkness had threatened Selena. In so many forms. In the form of the witches. In the form of Cassandra. In the form of Rayne, in the shadow of his obligations to his Prince, duties that hadn't died over time. And finally in the form of death, reaching out and seizing her just when she had made it.

                She stared at the candle, feeling tears well up. And then she felt a sudden anger. Pure, dark fury. Rage so powerful it was almost murderous. With a shout she swiped at the candle, knocking it from her bedside and against the far wall. But she didn't watch it crash and bounce to the floor, the flame snuffed. She didn't hear it snap upon impact with the floor.

                She gazed at the moonlight, at the blue-white beams that were suddenly all the light in the eerie darkness.

                Selena. Goddess of the Moon.

                She understood her dream. Selena was gone and she had rid herself of her past, hard as it had been for her. She wouldn't ever see Selena again.

                Death had passed over this house.

                She didn't realize she was crying until the door opened and Blaise entered, Winnie at her heels. Then she drew her knees up, reaching for her cousin like a child in desperate need of her mother and she wept against Blaise's shoulder, lost in misery.

                Thierry's hands were clasped before him and he held a look of understanding upon his face. "I heard about last night." He said quietly.

                Thea sighed, face hidden behind her hands.

                "I think I have something that will take your mind off of Chime." He continued and there was the sound of papers being shuffled across his polished desk.

                "A loaded gun?" she mumbled wearily.

                He chuckled. "No, I'm afraid not. I have no use for them." He leaned forward in his seat, pausing in the shuffling and said, "Crying is usually the first step in moving on, Thea. It gets better over time."

                Thea shook her head, finally dropping her hands away. "What are you offering me?" she asked.

                His lips tightened as she lifted her eyes to him but he nodded nonetheless. "A job. To keep your mind focused for a while." He flipped a photo at her. "You are to take Winnie and meet up with this person."

                Thea looked at the picture. It was a black and white photo of a dark-haired young man wearing mirrored-shades and a long trench coat.

                "He has information we need. Unfortunately I can't convince him to come to the mansion." Thierry said with an impatient sigh.

                Thea gazed at the photo sadly. "Almost looks like Rayne." She whispered softly.

                Thierry's face turned firm. "No, Thea. No, it doesn't." He pushed another paper her way. "That's the address. Take Winnie with you."

                Thea swallowed, pulling her eyes away from the photo. "All right."

                The address was bogus.

                Thea wanted to rip the paper into pieces and then burn them with witch fire. But that wouldn't do at all. Instead she continued to look at the two houses and the house that should have been in between. But it wasn't there, there was no gap in between the houses. There never had been a house there.

                And she was going to hurt someone.

                "Thea. What happened?" Winnie jogged up, holding a bottle of water and a glass bottle of juice. She handed the juice to Thea and opened her water, taking a sip.

                Thea handed the paper to her wordlessly, clutching her bottle of juice with stiff fingers.

                Winnie capped her water and took the paper, looking from it to the houses before her. After a moment she frowned. "Where is it?" she asked.

                "My point." Thea growled. She lifted one hand to her hip and looked over her shoulder to the small park on the other side of the street.

                "I don't get it." Winnie began. "Thierry wouldn't have-"

                Thea's hand clamped down on her wrist.

                Across the street leaning against a tree was a young man. A black trench coat fell around his lean frame and height. Almost like Rayne but he was different. More compact. He held a cigarette in his mouth and a flame in his hands, lighting it. Dark mirrored shades hid his eyes from them. His hands fell away as he took a deep drag of the cigarette, looking down his slender nose at them from his position beside the tree.

                "That's him." Thea whispered and she started dragging Winnie, looking both ways before hurrying across the street.

                A faint smile curled his lips as they reached him. "You are the ones the Night Lord sent?" he asked them quietly. His voice was soft with an accent in its depths. A strange accent, not one they were familiar with but pleasing, nonetheless.

                "Yeah." Thea nodded, eyeing him. "You have the information?"

                He pulled away from the tree wordlessly, peering down at them. "Of course I do." He said and Thea stared into his darkness. The darkness that had taken Selena and Rayne. Reflected there in the mirror of his shades.

                He moved to the side, trench coat flowing behind him. "Come with me."

                Thea glanced at Winnie who merely shrugged at her.

                He led them to a large jeep, quite a nice one. The alarm beeped as he neared and holding his cigarette to his lips he opened one of the back doors, holding it open politely for the two witches.

                "Where are we going?" Winnie asked him cautiously.

                He took a drag, exhaling it to the side. "To the information." He answered. And when they didn't budge he continued rather impatiently, "You do want the answer, don't you?"

                Thea frowned. "The answer? What's the question?"

                He smiled again, that eerie smile. And his eyes were hidden, making him all the more eerie. "Get in and you'll find out." He said with a shrug.

                Winnie glanced at Thea as the blond witch turned quizzical brown eyes on her. She also shrugged. Thea turned to look back at the young man before nodding and climbing into the backseat. Winnie followed, eyeing the young man warily. He raised both eyebrows, smiling arrogantly before shutting the door on her. He pulled off his trench coat, tossing it into the passenger side of the jeep before climbing in and starting up the jeep.

                A moment later they were heading around the park and then taking a quiet road through it.

                Thea swallowed. She could see his face in the rearview mirror but he seemed to pay them no mind. He looked so much like Rayne. Rayne had been that laid back. That cool and confident. But this wasn't Rayne.

                Rayne was dead.

                "What's the question then, guy?" Winnie asked after several minutes of silence and green scenery.

                He didn't answer. 

                But he did slow the jeep after several more seconds when someone came out of the trees of the dark park and stopped at the curb of the road. He pulled the jeep up before the person, stopping finally.

                "Hey, whoa." Winnie said as the figure, another young man, came forward and paused at the open window of the passenger side of the black jeep. "He never said that there would be two of you. Just one."

                The driver looked over his shoulder at them and bared sharp, white teeth. "We never work without the other." He said to the witches in the backseat, lifting his cigarette to his lips.

                Thea looked at Winnie quickly. Was he a vampire? Would they be able to take him on if necessary?

                The newcomer, a strangely beautiful young man with deep blue eyes leaned in through the window. "I want to drive." He said to the dark driver, ignoring Thea and Winnie.

                "You can't drive." The first young man said with a teasing grin. "You got to drive us here."

                "It's my jeep."

                "I'm the one with the keys."

                The boy outside sighed in defeat before pulling open the door. He pulled the cast off trench coat from the seat and wrapped himself in it as if cold. Then he climbed into the passenger seat. And the moment he shut the door the jeep took off, Winnie and Thea bouncing in the back.

                The newcomer, a light haired boy looked towards the driver from his spot leaning against the passenger side door. Then he reached over and plucked the cigarette from the driver's mouth.

                "Hey-"

                The dark haired young man driving cast the second guy a quick look but was cut short as the fair-haired one leaned forward and placed a tender, lingering kiss on his lips. "I told you I hate it when you smoke." He whispered against the driver's cheek. Then he pulled back against his seat and flicked the cigarette out the window.

                Thea slowly looked at Winnie. The red-curled witch threw her an, 'Oh, darn.' look and Thea nodded slightly in agreement. Both guys had been cute.

                The fair haired boy finally turned in his seat towards the witches. "Hello, Winnie." He said and then to Thea, "Hellewise."

                Thea did a double take, feeling her heart drop out from under her. "What did you...?" she stuttered.

                The boy smiled faintly and there was something familiar in the expression. "The dream didn't mean I was gone, Thea. It meant I had freed myself from the past." He shrugged. "Devlin is gone. I said good bye. Now it's just me. And him." He placed a hand on the driver's wrist.

                The driver slipped the shades down his nose a bit and smiled the haunting smile once more at the witches.

                Winnie merely blinked, wide-eyed.

                "Chime?" Thea whispered faintly.

                "Tell Thierry that we agree. His answer to the question." The fair-haired boy continued. And he grinned wryly.

                "What's the question?" Winnie asked dumbly.

                "If we'll work for him, of course." The driver said in his beautifully accented voice.

                "Of course." Thea uttered blankly.

                "Where are we going now?" Winnie asked, turning her eyes to gaze out at the park.

                The driver slipped the shades from his face altogether, perching them upon his forehead and he squinted at the road thoughtfully. "To find…an old friend." He said slowly. And then he trained wonderfully amber eyes on Winnie and Thea. "A Royal Guard's task is never done."

                                                                             FIN

Note:  Ok, before I confuse you all because I've had people before not understand the last moment, no, Rayne is not gay (LMAO!!) and no, Chime is not a guy. She was not reborn because she never died. Dragons are born with the ability to shape-shift…

But yay, I finally finished uploading the fic!!! ***Suddenly notices the emptiness of the room and the sound of…crickets?* **Hello?? Anybody there?

Anyways, I enjoyed making this story as much as hearing what you all thought about it so thanks for reading along, it meant a lot that ppl appreciated my efforts. =)

There IS a sequel (which I'm not sure I'm going to put up here because I wrote it in a terrible hurry but I guess it's not too bad). I guess if I get enough ppl telling me they'll kill me if I don't put up the story, **_maybe_** I'll put it up… XD

And last but NOT least, for all you Lord of the Rings fans, I'm writing another story as we speak with my sister Cassandra. It's called The Witch Child (has nothing to do with LJS or Illiana) and both she and I were DYING to do it since seeing LotR the week it came out. If you're into LotR (especially Legolas because these days I live and breathe him) please stop by and check it out, the Prologue is up already. We decided to list it under Cass' name because she doesn't have as many fics up as I do. So check under Author: Cassandra Salvia (she has 4 fics with this one) and look up The Witch Child. I think it's coming along pretty good. Drop us a review so that I can know whether or you guys even LIKE it. ;)

Anyways, I'm off. For all my long-time readers, I appreciate your interest and the time you took to read, I hope you continue to do so. Thanks so much! And hope to hear from you guys again soon. =)

-Aeslinn Salvia


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